Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is set to take the reins of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) today once again after more than six years.
Nawaz Sharif will be elected the president of the party through intra-party polls rescheduled from the second week of May to May 28 aka Youm-e-Takbir.
In 2017, Nawaz lost both the prime minister’s office and the presidency of PML-N after the ruling of the Panama Papers case. Hence, the catchphrase “Mujhy Kyun Nikala” (Why was I removed?) used by the party at that time.
Rana Sanaullah previously stated that party leaders had a complete consensus on Nawaz being the leader of the party.
The provincial government of Khyeber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and the federal government have finally agreed to work together after months of heated arguments over arrears, deciding to put differences aside for the betterment of the people of Pakistan, Geo reported on Monday.
The development came during a meeting in Islamabad between the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Ali Amin Gandapur and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. The Federal Minister for Energy, Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari, also attended the meeting.
After that, they also held joint press conferences.
Addressing a joint presser, following a “meaningful” dialogue, CM Gandapur said: “The federal and provincial institutions will work together. [We] will work together to remove the causes of line losses.”
The federal government and the KP government are clashing and disagreeing over multiple issues. Power cuts in KP are one of the major reasons for the spats between the Centre and KP, with Gandapur even threatening to take control of the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) due to excessive power outages in the province.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that a deadly strike that hit a displacement camp in Gaza’s Rafah was a “tragic accident” that his government was investigating.
“In Rafah, we evacuated a million uninvolved residents and, despite our best efforts, a tragic accident happened yesterday,” Netanyahu told parliament.
He added that “we are investigating the case and will draw the conclusions” after Gaza’s health ministry reported 45 dead as the strike late Sunday sparked a fire that tore through a tent city for displaced Gazans.
The ministry in the Gaza Strip also said that 249 people were wounded.
Israel faced a wave of international condemnation on Monday over the Rafah strike, including from across the region as well from the European Union, France, and the United Nations.
The Israeli military said it had launched a probe into the strike which it said was carried out based on “precise intelligence information” about two Hamas militants who it said were killed.
It also said “the strike did not occur in the humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi, to which the IDF (army) has encouraged civilians to evacuate” since the ground operation began in Rafah.
Netanyahu struck a defiant tone in his Knesset address while being heckled by relatives of hostages held in Gaza, and vowed to keep up the battle to destroy Hamas.
“There is no substitute for absolute victory” in Gaza, he told the chamber.
Netanyahu denounced pressure, both internal and external, that he said his government has faced since the war in Gaza began.
“They pressured us then,” said Netanyahu, before listing calls to refrain from military operations which Israel carried out anyway.
“Don’t enter Gaza. We entered! Do not enter Shifa! We entered! Do not enter Khan Yunis! We entered! Do not enter Rafah! We entered!” he said.
“I don’t give up and I won’t give up! I stand up to pressures from home and abroad.”
Israel’s genocide in Gaza has caused the death of 36,050 Palestinians.
Gaza’s civil defence agency said Monday that many bodies were “charred” after the strikes triggered a fire that ripped through a displacement camp in northwest Rafah.
“The massacre committed by the Israeli occupation army in the refugee tents northwest of Rafah city in the southern Gaza Strip has left 40 martyrs and 65 wounded,” said agency official Mohammad al-Mughayyir.
“We saw charred bodies and dismembered limbs … We also saw cases of amputations, wounded children, women and the elderly.”
Footage released by the Palestinian Red Crescent Society showed chaotic night-time scenes of paramedics in ambulances racing to the fiery attack site and evacuating the wounded, including children.
“We had just done with the evening prayers,” recalled one survivor, a Palestinian woman who declined to be named.
“Our children were asleep … suddenly we heard a loud sound and there was fire all around us. The children were screaming … the sound was terrifying.”
Mughayyir said the rescue efforts were hampered by war damage and the impacts of Israel’s siege on the territory amid the over seven-month-old conflict.
“There is a fuel shortage … there are roads that have been destroyed, which hinders the movement of civil defence vehicles in these targeted areas,” he said. “There is also a shortage of water to extinguish fires.”
The ICRC said that one of its field hospitals was receiving an “influx of casualties seeking care for injuries and burns” and that “our teams are doing their best to save lives”.
Israeli occupation forces on the other hand said the air strikes late Sunday, hours after a rocket attack had targeted Tel Aviv, had killed two senior Hamas operatives. However, it will investigate the reports of civilians killed in a fire..
It added that it was “aware of reports indicating that as a result of the strike and fire that was ignited, several civilians in the area were harmed. The incident is under review.”
The Israeli attack sparked strong protests from Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, and from Qatar which warned it could “hinder” budding steps to revive stalled truce and hostage release talks in the Israel-Hamas war raging since October 7.
Egypt
Egypt deplored the “targeting of defenceless civilians” and labelled it part of “a systematic policy aimed at widening the scope of death and destruction in the Gaza Strip to make it uninhabitable”.
Jordan
Jordan also expressed its condemnation, accusing Israel of committing “ongoing war crimes”.
Kuwait
Kuwait charged the attack exposed Israel’s “blatant war crimes and unprecedented genocide to the whole world”.
Qatar
And Qatar condemned the Israeli bombing as a “dangerous violation of international law”.
Israel’s top ally the United States has strongly urged all sides to resume truce talks, with efforts underway in recent days toward new talks with US, Egyptian and Qatari mediators.
After the latest violence, Qatar’s foreign ministry voiced “concern that the bombing will complicate ongoing mediation efforts and hinder reaching an agreement for an immediate and permanent ceasefire”.
Hamas attack on Tel Aviv
The strike came hours after Hamas had on Sunday, for the first time in months, launched a barrage of rockets at Tel Aviv and other areas of central Israel, sending people running into bomb shelters.
Although Israeli air defences took out most of the rockets and no casualties were reported, the attack was seen as an effort by Hamas to signal that it remains undefeated.
Hamas’s armed wing said it had targeted Tel Aviv “with a large rocket barrage in response to the Zionist massacres against civilians”.
Israel invaded Gaza in late October, but its ground forces are still battling Hamas in northern and central areas where Hamas has regrouped, as well as around Rafah.
Hamas said, after the overnight strikes, that Palestinians must “rise up and march”.
The delightful Naimal Khawar Khan has been cherishing moments with her husband, superstar Hamza Ali Abbasi. She recently treated her followers to adorable snapshots and a vlog capturing their latest lunch date. They ventured out to explore a new coffee shop in Islamabad’s picturesque rainy weather. Naimal generously shared the vlog on her YouTube channel, and now we’ve gathered some delightful pictures for you to enjoy.
Indian police said on Monday they had arrested a doctor and the owner of an unlicensed hospital where six newborn babies died when a fire erupted in a crowded ward without fire exits.
The blaze broke out at the New Born Baby Care hospital in New Delhi’s Vivek Vihar area late Saturday evening. In the crucial first minutes, bystanders spotted the fire and braved the blaze to rescue the newborns inside.
“We didn’t even name her […] I never even held her in my arms,” Anjar Khan, whose 11-day-old daughter died in the blaze, was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times.
Vinod Sharma, who lost his day-old baby boy, blamed the hospital authorities for the tragedy.
“He had a problem with breathing. The doctor had said that he will be fine in a few days,” Sharma was quoted as saying by The Indian Express newspaper. “We didn’t know that the hospital would kill him.”
Mothers wait to identify the bodies of their children a day after a fire broke out at a children’s hospital in New Delhi Arun SANKAR
Five babies rescued alive
Fires are common in India due to poor building practices, overcrowding and a lack of adherence to safety regulations. The narrow two-storey hospital building was squeezed between a row of homes, without space on either side, making it hard for fire engines to reach.
“We were trying to control the fire, but there was no way to enter the building and rescue the 12 babies who were trapped,” local fire officer Atul Garg told reporters.
Senior police officer Surendra Chaudhary told AFP that the hospital did “not have a fire exit system”.
Its licence expired in March and the owner filled the ward with more than twice the number of beds it previously had permission for.
“The hospital had permission for up to five beds but they had installed more than 10 beds,” he said. “In view of all this, we have made the arrests.”
Five babies pulled out from the fire are still recovering in another hospital.
Let me dissect the Baby Care health centre tragedy here based upon evidence and facts in 5 points: 1. Oxygen Cylinders used to be refilled daily at the hospital. Despite several complaints made by RWA president Anand Goyal and parshad Pankaj Luthra. pic.twitter.com/BajDqegaNH
The blaze in the hospital on Saturday broke out just hours after a separate fire at an amusement park in India’s western state of Gujarat. The toll from that fire rose to 28 on Monday, police said.
The blaze — which ripped through a centre with a bowling alley and other games crowded with youngsters — was triggered by welding work on the ground floor, chief fire officer Ilesh Kher told reporters.
“The CCTV footage clearly shows that a spark from the welding work fell on a stack of corrugated cardboard sheets below, causing the fire,” Kher said. “This spread very fast as the material was highly flammable.”
The corpses were so badly burned they have not been identified so far.
Police have charged seven people with culpable homicide in connection to that fire. The two fires came as northern India was gripped by intense heat, with temperatures in Delhi hitting 46.8°C.
Award winning director Sarmad Khoosat had a bad run in with hospital administration and he’s venting out anger.
He recently spoke out about a frustrating experience at a hospital, sharing on Instagram that he was scolded for wearing knee-length shorts while visiting the medical facility. Khoosat questioned why hospitals should control what visitors wear, especially when they’re just there to see someone, not for treatment. He recalled being asked to change into old, uncomfortable pants pulled from a dusty drawer by a guard.
The actor criticized what he saw as unnecessary policing, saying, “The policing and moral policing in this country are like a circus.” He pointed out how silly it is to worry about clothing instead of taking care of patients in a hospital, saying, “I hope they don’t judge patients by their clothes.”
Khoosat found it ironic that he was stopped because there were women around, sarcastically saying, “Can I ask the ladies to focus on their loved ones’ health instead of worrying about me?”
His experience highlights bigger issues about personal freedom and unfair rules in public places. He hopes for more sensible rules in hospitals and everywhere else.
On his Instagram story, Sarmad Khoosat wrote, “In what world are hospitals supposed to police what you are wearing? Not here for treatment but to meet a patient only. I was wearing shorts (not too short either – knee length), and the management told me to either go back or wear these pants, which emerged from a guard’s dusty drawer. The fit and the look of them would have made me look vulgar. I hope they don’t treat patients in wards and rooms based on their clothes. It’s a hospital for god’s sake. This country’s policing and moral policing are truly a circus. The guard said, “There are ladies inside!” May I please request the said ladies to focus on their loved one’s health and treatment and not be tempted by me? Not naming the hospital because I am sure such ridiculous laws are the easiest and quickest to implement across the country. Also: I entered through the emergency gate and the guard didn’t even bother asking me if I had an emergency or not.”
Sargodha police has arrested 26 people for mob violence and attempting to lynch a Christian man on Saturday while registering a case against 44 nominated and 300/400 unidentified suspects.
The case was registered on behalf of the State of Pakistan with clauses included in the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) 1997.
However, the police also registered a blasphemy case against the Christian man who was seriously injured in the mob attack.
A worker of Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) filed the blasphemy case.
On May 25, a violent mob tried to lynch the Christian man. Multiple viral videos on social media show horrific scenes of violent mobs damaging, setting fire and looting the property.
Station House Officer (SHO) Shahid Iqbal and other police personnel at the scene rescued the man from the burning house but when he was brought out, the mob swarmed in and attacked him.
The FIR also alleges that women were also a part of the crowd, inciting violence.
Amid the ongoing genocide in Gaza, many Pakistani celebrities, including Mahira Khan, Armeena Khan, Anoushey Ashraf, Hania Ahmed, and Fatima Bhutto, are using their social media platforms to highlight Israel’s atrocities in the strip. These public figures drew attention to the dire humanitarian conditions in Rafah, emphasizing the urgency of international intervention and support for the victims.
Celebrity advocacy for Gaza
Mahira Khan, known for her influential presence both on and off-screen, has shared emotional images and videos. One of her posts featured a heartbreaking video from Palestinian journalist Motaz Azaiza, showing the bodies of children killed by Israel. She poignantly captioned it, “How can this be the world we live in?”
Armeena Khan, a dedicated advocate for social causes, highlighted the struggles of Rafah’s residents through her Instagram stories. She expressed gratitude for her privileged position of living in safety while others suffer and shared harrowing content, stating, “Motaz’s stories destroyed my soul tonight. They look like snapshots from hell. Watch, but be mindful; it’s the sort of thing that scars you for life.” Her aim is to maintain global awareness of the crisis.
Hania Ahmed and Anoushey Ashraf also took to Instagram to spotlight the grim reality in Rafah. They stated, “Israel is burning people alive in Rafah right now. They’re counting on Americans to be too busy during this holiday weekend to pay attention to their latest massacre.”
Fatima Bhutto shared alarming statistics about the recent attacks, revealing, “Israel bombed Rafah over 60 times in 48 hours after International Court of Justice orders.” She stressed the need for relentless advocacy, captioning her post, “We should not rest till this is stopped. My heart aches.” Bhutto has consistently posted crucial information to keep her followers informed and engaged.
Bassem Youssef, an Egyptian-American comedian and television host, used his platform to draw attention to the atrocities. He reminded his followers of past misinformation and pointed to the current, documented horrors, urging the world to acknowledge and respond to the genocide in Gaza.
The collective efforts of Pakistani celebrities on social media remind us that behind our screens lie the harsh realities faced by many. Raising awareness is a powerful way to help those suffering. Israeli airstrikes killed at least 35 Palestinians and wounded dozens on Sunday in an area designated for the displaced in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, according to Palestinian health and emergency service officials. These celebrities aim to keep the world’s attention on these tragic events and encourage action.
Pakistani passports are going through a number of transformations and the recently proposed one is the inclusion of the names of both the mother and father if the child’s parents are divorced.
Geo’s Azaz Syed shared that the proposal is under consideration. In case of divorce or separation, the woman’s passport will be made in the name of the father. Previously, it was reported that that a married woman must have her husband’s name on her passport as per law and if the woman is divorced a box will be introduced to have her former husband’s name.
For children with divorced parents, the names of the parents will be entered in the passport.
It is also revealed that the Ministry of Interior will take the final decision to amend passport rules while Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Law are considering the proposal of amendments to the rules.
Azaz’ sources at Ministry of Home Affairs say that after the amendment of the rules, passport software and boxes will have to be updated. The federal government will decide on the proposals after consultation with all stakeholders.
