Tag: Top News

  • PM’s aide wants ‘corrupt politicians & officials’ to be locked at Lahore Safari Zoo

    PM’s aide wants ‘corrupt politicians & officials’ to be locked at Lahore Safari Zoo

    Sahibzada Jahangir, Prime Minister’s Spokesperson on Trade and Investment in UK & Europe, came under fire yesterday for his tweet in which he called for all “corrupt politicians and officials” to be locked at the Lahore Safari Zoo in Raiwind.

    In a now-deleted tweet, Jahangir had said: “Visited Lahore Safari Zoo. Beautiful park and with great tourist potential. I urge Imran Khan PM to lock all corrupt politicians and officials here for weekend camping & let their fade [fate] be decided by Allah.”

    He later deleted his tweet when Twitterati gave him a piece of their mind.

    Sahibzada Jahangir, also known as ‘Chico Jahangir’, is the elder brother of Fauzia Kasuri. Ms. Kasuri parted ways with PTI after almost 17 years.

    Prime Minister Imran Khan has known Mr. Jahangir for more than three decades. Khan’s walima with Jemima Goldsmith was held at Jahangir’s residence in London.

  • Air purifier installed at Taj Mahal to save it from smog

    Air purifier installed at Taj Mahal to save it from smog

    New Delhi and the areas surrounding the city have been engulfed by a cloud of smog which is choking the city and its residents. The air quality index has reached hazardous levels as the Indian capital has been hit by the worst pollution in three years. A public health emergency has been declared and people have been advised to stay indoors.

    According to a report in Khaleej Times, as smog levels exceeded, authorities parked a van with an air purifier near the Taj Mahal – the iconic 17th-century marble mausoleum 250 kilometres (150 miles) south of Delhi – in a bid to clean the air in its surrounds.

    The air purifier van deployed by the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) has the capacity to purify 15 lakh cubic metre air in eight hours within a 300-metre radius.

    Regional Officer of UPPCB Bhuvan Yadav shared that a mobile air purifier van has been deployed at the west gate of the Taj Mahal keeping in mind the developing situation and consistent deterioration in air quality.

    Pollution around the white marble mausoleum has been a cause of concern for a long time as it has been damaging the monument, one of the seven wonders of the world. Pollution causes the white marble of the monument to turn yellow.

    Read more: Air purifiers that are effective and available

    Meanwhile, the Delhi government has declared a public health emergency in the city following the deterioration in air quality. The local government also directed the closure of all schools till November 5 in the interest of the health and safety of children. Free pollution masks were also handed to the children to limit their exposure.

    Construction work in the city has been put on hold and private cars have been banned on the roads to limit pollution.

    According to a recent study, almost one million Indians died prematurely every year as a result of inhaling this pollution-ridden smog. Experts have warned that both state and national governments needed to go beyond short-term remedies and find a solution to combat this problem which hits every year.

    Read more: Tips to beat the toxic smog this winter

    Across the border, Lahore is also suffering from the effects of smog. The air quality index in the city has also reached hazardous levels making breathing tiresome for the residents.

  • Here’s how ‘Azadi March’ protestors are charging their phones

    Here’s how ‘Azadi March’ protestors are charging their phones

    Considering that the participants of the JUI-F’s Azadi March have to sit-in for long hours, they came prepared for their Islamabad protest.

    According to reports, the participants are using solar panels and power banks to charge their mobile phones. In fact, these solar panels are even being used to provide electricity in some tents.

    A protester shared that they have been using power banks to charge smaller mobile phones while the panels are being used to charge bigger phones. He added that the panels are also being used to provide electricity in some tents too.

    Despite the government’s ban on cellular signals in the areas where the protest is being staged, protestors are walking up to four kilometres to share updates from the march on social media.

    The JUI-F workers and supporters have been staging a protest at Islamabad’s H-9 Ground near Peshawar Morr with the aim to topple the PTI government.

  • Pak army to generate own electricity to reduce burden on economy

    Pak army to generate own electricity to reduce burden on economy

    Pakistan Army is all set to generate electricity for its garrisons and establishments across Pakistan to cut their expenditure on power which is estimated to be around Rs 15 billion for 240 MW (megawatt), a private news outlet has reported.

    As per reports, the Pakistan army is planning on harnessing renewable energy through solar parks with an aim to establish 1-5MW solar parks in each garrison. The pilot project will generate 40MW energy and no public money will be used on solar parks for 25 years.

    This step will reduce the burden on the Army’s budget as a huge portion of it goes to electricity payments to various electricity distribution companies, and the costs are rising due to increasing tariffs.

    The Defence Division has informed the federal cabinet that army possesses robust distribution systems, which means that it can easily shift to renewable energy alternatives.

    The division has sought the government’s approval for making the payment on account of purchasing equipment from private companies offering solar solutions, adding that it will be at least 20-30% cheaper than DICSOs.

    The cabinet was also informed that the stakeholders including Public-Private Partnership Authority (PPPA), Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB), Power Division and Finance Division have also endorsed the electricity project.

  • If Maryam Nawaz joins the ‘Azadi March’

    If Maryam Nawaz joins the ‘Azadi March’

    PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz has been released on bail, the only condition being that she cannot leave the country. Speculations regarding her joining Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s ‘Azadi March’ have already begun.

    Read more: Maryam Nawaz granted bail in Chaudhry Sugar Mills case

    What will happen if Maryam joins the march? Watch the video to find out:

  • Rabi Pirzada bids farewell to showbiz

    Rabi Pirzada bids farewell to showbiz

    Singer Rabi Pirzada has bid farewell to the showbiz industry after being embroiled in a privacy breach, she announced on Monday.

    Taking to Twitter, the singer wrote, “I, Rabi Pirzada, have decided to distance myself from the showbiz industry.”

    “May Allah forgive my sins and soften others’ hearts towards me,” she added.

    The singer has also confirmed her decision to quit the entertainment industry while speaking to a private media outlet.

    Last week, compromising videos of Pirzada went viral on social media. While a huge number of users called her out for “profanity”, others came out in her support and slammed the breach of privacy.

    She has approached the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) seeking action against those involved in the breach. According to Pirzada, she has moved an application to the agency for her data that was stolen from her cell phone.

    “I sold out my cell phone and the data was stolen,” she told a private media outlet and added that she had also filed an application against the shop.

  • Proud to have army as our spokesperson: Zartaj Gul

    Proud to have army as our spokesperson: Zartaj Gul

    Minister of State for Climate Change Zartaj Gul has said that the (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government is “proud to have the army as its spokesperson”.

    “We are proud that we are judiciary’s spokespersons [and] we are proud that the army is our spokesperson,” Gul said during her appearance on a SAMAA TV talkshow as she slammed the opposition for accusing the government of making state institutions controversial.

    She said that neither had the PTI government burdened the country with loans worth Rs31,000 billion nor had it enslaved the masses. “This is why the people and the army are with us.”

    WATCH VIDEO:

    Calling out opposition members, including former prime minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman “for making judges and the armed forces controversial”, she also questioned their ideology and what they were standing for.

    When asked about the way forward with the opposition, she said a “13th player” of the team was doing politics and wished to take others’ children to D-Chowk in Islamabad.

    Gul added that opposition leaders at the Islamabad sit-in were “only troubled by the fact that this time they were not a part of the parliament”.

  • ‘Ehd e Wafa’s’ latest episode throws shade at Abhinandan

    ‘Ehd e Wafa’s’ latest episode throws shade at Abhinandan

    Hum Tv and ISPR’s joint venture Ehd e Wafa featuring Ahad Raza Mir, Osman Khalid Butt, Wahaj Ali, Ahmed Ali Akbar, Zara Noor Abbas and Alizeh Shah trends every Sunday. The drama has a loyal fanbase and given that it is a light-hearted family watch, that comes as no surprise.

    In the latest episode, Saad (Mir) has joined the army and his training is underway in full swing. On one of his training missions, the officer tells the cadets, “Aap uss azeem fauj ka hissa bananay ja rahe hain, jis nay dushman ko jahaaz say utaar kar chai pilatay hain aur baad main poochtay hain ‘How was the tea?’” (You are going to become part of that army, who after capturing the enemy from the helicopter, served him tea and asked, ‘How was the tea?’)

    To this, the cadets chimed, ‘Fantastic, sir.”

    This scene definitely threw direct shade at Abhinandan, the Indian Airforce pilot who was captured in February in Balakot. A video of him drinking tea and saying that it was “fantastic” had gone viral on social media.

    Meanwhile, on the other hand, Shahzain (Osman) and Rani (Zara) are getting betrothed to each other, much to Shahzain’s opposition. He wants to get married to Dua (Alizeh) to spite Saad but Alizeh’s parents reject his proposal. Shariq (Wahaj) is struggling to be a journalist while Sheheryar (Ahmed) is playing for his father’s band much to his disappointment.

    The drama has begun to pick up in terms of the pace and the story is progressing well – it is entertaining and gripping. Ehd e Wafa is definitely the perfect Sunday night watch.

  • Maryam Nawaz granted bail in Chaudhry Sugar Mills case

    Maryam Nawaz granted bail in Chaudhry Sugar Mills case

    The Lahore High Court (LHC) has granted bail to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Maryam Nawaz in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills (CSM) case.

    A two-member bench of the LHC comprising Justice Ali Baqar Najafi and Justice Sardar Ahmad Naeem announced the verdict. The legal representatives of Maryam and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) were also present in the court.

    Maryam Nawaz had approached the high court on September 30 seeking post-arrest bail in the CSM case, in which she is suspected of money laundering.

    Following the sudden deterioration in the health of her father, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, she then filed a miscellaneous petition on October 24 seeking immediate bail on the basis of fundamental rights and humanitarian reasons.

    The bench had reserved its verdict in the case on October 31 after both the petitioner and NAB had concluded their arguments.

    In its verdict, the court on Monday directed Maryam to submit her passport with the court besides two surety bonds of Rs100 million each. The court also directed the PML-N leader to deposit Rs70 million separately with the court.

    According to her lawyer, bail has been granted on the merits of the case and not on humanitarian grounds.

    Maryam and her cousin Yousuf Abbas were arrested by NAB on August 8 in the CSM case. Later, on September 25, they were sent to jail on judicial remand by an accountability court in Lahore.

    NAB suspects PML-N president of involvement in money laundering through investments of variable heavy amounts being the main shareholder of the CSM. It has alleged that she was involved in money laundering with the help of some foreigners during the period of 1992-93, when Nawaz was the prime minister.

  • Sarfaraz sacked on PM Imran’s order: report

    Sarfaraz sacked on PM Imran’s order: report

    Pakistan cricket team’s wicket-keeper batsman and former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed was removed from his position on direct orders from Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, Cricket Pakistan reported.

    According to the details, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) wanted to retain Sarfaraz Ahmed in the same role till the T20 World Cup next year, however, Imran Khan was unhappy with him and forced the decision of his eventual removal.

    Not only this but PCB had earlier also blamed PM Imran for nullifying the No Objection Certificates (NOCs) granted to its players to feature in the upcoming T10 League.

    When players protested against the decision, they were told that the instruction had come from the PM’s office.

    Moreover, according to website ESPNcricinfo, PM Imran had instructed PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani to avoid the T10 League due to the involvement of Indian owners and financial benefactors. The same report cited a probable mutiny by the players in this regard as well.

    Reports further reveal that a PCB official leaked the news to media personnel so that the government could be blamed for the decision. The Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) is also unhappy with the attitude of the PCB on this matter.

    In this regard, the International Cricket Council (ICC) might also begin investigations to find out if the government is influencing PCB’s decisions.