Tag: trending

  • Heavy snow leads to food shortage in Chitral

    Heavy snow leads to food shortage in Chitral

    Climate change is hitting home with heavy snow halting normal life, creating food insecurity in districts of upper and lower Chitral. The situation is dire, as MNA Abdul Akbar Chitrali has asserted that “It may result in a human tragedy”.

    The closure of roads to more than a dozen valleys in Chitral for the last three weeks has been creating countless issues for people.

    The most affected areas are the sub-valleys of Madaklasht, Susoom, Karimabad, and Gobor in Lower Chitral and Broghil, Yarkhoon, Upper Terich, Khot, Rech, Melp and Rech in Upper Chitral, says the report by Dawn. One has to wade through the snow for more than eight hours to reach there.

    The residents of the affected areas have said that food items and lifesaving drugs are running out while patients are taken on shoulder by villagers towards the road.

    Some minor work has been done by the government in the city but the roads leading to the sub-valleys are still unclear, leaving it up to the local people to do it on self-help basis.

    The former village nazim of Broghil, Amin Jan Tajik, said that there was a famine-like situation for people and their cattle after the valley received more than four feet snow while one had to walk for two days to reach Brep village to get a vehicle.

    He recalled that the last time the valley received such a heavy snowfall was in 1974, prompting the then government of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto to airdrop ration for people as well as forage for their cattle, which formed their only source of sustenance.

    Mr Tajik said that to reopen the road by clearing snow and removing boulders and debris was beyond the capacity of locals as heavy machinery was required for the purpose.

    Former MNA Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali while talking to Dawn said that closure of roads gave birth to all kinds of issues and it was a pity that both federal and provincial governments neglected the ordeals of people.

    Talking to journalists here on Wednesday, he said that restoration of power supply to the affected villages would not be possible without reopening of roads. “More than three-fourth villages of Chitral have been without electricity after the heavy snowfall,” he added.

    He said that during the month of Ramazan, shortage of food was deplorable.

  • Tabish Hashmi’s wife reveals sweet secret about their arranged marriage

    Tabish Hashmi’s wife reveals sweet secret about their arranged marriage

    Prominent host and comedian Tabish Hashmi and his wife Hira Khalid shared details about their first meeting for an arranged marriage.

    The couple appeared for their first-ever joint interview with host Nida Yasir on ARY Digital’s Ramadan special transmission ‘Shan e Suhoor.’
    Hira disclosed, “Tabish’s father and my grandfather used to be childhood friends.”

    “But there was surely love at first sight,” the host said at which point Hira interrupted her, humourously saying, “From Tabish’s side.”

    They reminisced about their initial meeting during the final days of Ramadan when Tabish, along with his family, visited Hira’s place, and Tabish fell in love with her at first sight.

    When asked what initially attracted her to her husband, Hira said, “It was an arranged marriage. At that time, I agreed solely because of my parents’ decision, but eventually, gradually, I started liking many of his qualities.”

    Hira also revealed that Tabish preferred face-to-face meetings over long calls during their engagement, prompting her to come up with excuses to meet him.
    Hira and Tabish have been married for over 12 years and have two children together, a daughter and a son.

  • ‘Dr. Baloch’ and ‘Pinky Group’ involved in drug smuggling in Karachi’s educational institutes

    ‘Dr. Baloch’ and ‘Pinky Group’ involved in drug smuggling in Karachi’s educational institutes

    An organized underground network of drug supply including women drug dealers has been operating in educational institutions of Karachi.

    Samaa’s Ahmer Rehman Khan has reported that drug orders are received from social media groups while the narcotics are delivered in packaging of pizza and burgers via delivery services.

    Earlier the drugs were supplied only in remote areas and slums but with time, smugglers spread their network to the educational institutions of Karachi.

    The reports reveal that cocaine and ice addiction have increased among the students of Karachi. Students who have completed their education at the university on condition of anonymity made surprising revelations about the delivery of drugs in the schools.

    These organized drug smuggling networks are run by ‘Dr. Baloch’ and ‘Pinky group’ in educational institutions of Karachi.

    Dr. Baloch Group is being operational from Nushki Balochistan while Pinky Group is run by a woman called ‘Anmol’ also known as Pinky — hailing from Rahim Yar Khan (RYK).

    How much does it cost?

    Cocaine costs Rs15,000 to Rs17,000 per gram while ice is fetching Rs2500 to Rs3500 per gram. A token of Rs5000 for hashish and Rs300 rupees for heroin is being given.

    Karachi Police is aware of the network and claims to have arrested over 25 suppliers of drugs in educational institutions. But still, the network of drug dealers could not be broken.

    Police officers said that they alone could not stop the use of drugs in educational institutions and urged teachers and parents also need to actively monitor their children.

  • Trolls have the weirdest objection to Alizeh Shah’s Korean-inspired look

    Trolls have the weirdest objection to Alizeh Shah’s Korean-inspired look

    South Korea’s cultural influence, its soft power, has captivated audiences worldwide, and Pakistan is no exception. With Korean music, dramas, and beauty trends gaining popularity, it’s no surprise that celebrities like Alizeh Shah are embracing the K-wave.

    Alizeh Shah, recognized for her roles in popular dramas like ‘Ehd e Wafa’, has been making waves on social media with her recent Korean-inspired looks. From makeup to fashion, she’s been channeling the beauty standards of K-pop idols, much to the surprise of her fans.

    However, not everyone is cheering for Alizeh’s transformation. Some fans expressed concern, feeling that she’s straying too far from her original charm and attempting to emulate idols like Lisa from Black Pink.

    Trolls crawled out of the woodwork to tell her she was wrong in trying out a different look, stating that she looked fine without the Korean look.

    Really, fans can definitely have an opinion about how their favourite actors look but to troll them for it is uncalled for. The objections, so to speak, ranged from the weird to the ridiculous.

    Trolls should maybe pay more attention to why they feel passing such personal comments is the right thing to do.

    Here are some people reaction:

  • PTI’s Barrister Gohar didn’t accept Hammad Azhar’s resignation

    PTI’s Barrister Gohar didn’t accept Hammad Azhar’s resignation

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has decided not to accept the resignation letter of senior PTI leader Hammad Azhar, as per SAMMA

    Khan said: “I cannot accept Hammad Azhar’s resignation during the ongoing situation.”

    “Currently, we will not accept the resignation from the party posts, nor do we have any intent of doing so.”

    Hammad left his party positions including PTI’s Punjab president and general secretary.

    “I will continue to work for the PTI as a party worker. I have decided to resign after thinking a lot,” Azhar said.

    Hammad Azhar has been declared a proclaimed offender in the May 9 case.

  • We don’t want armed conflict with Afghanistan, says Khawaja Asif

    We don’t want armed conflict with Afghanistan, says Khawaja Asif

    Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said that Pakistan does not want armed conflict with neighbouring Afghanistan, stressing that using force was the last option.

    The defence minister, in an interview with Voice of America on Wednesday, stated that Pakistan might block the trade corridor it gave to Afghanistan for trading with India. He added that Pakistan had the right to stop helping Kabul if it didn’t control terrorists against Pakistan who were active in Afghanistan.

    “If Afghanistan treats us like an enemy, then why should we give them a trade corridor?” Asif said.

    He passed the remarks after Pakistan launched intelligence-based anti-terrorist operations in the border regions in response to several terrorist attacks in Pakistan.

    However, Zabiullah Mujahid, the spokesman for the Taliban administration, said in a statement that “The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan does not allow anyone to compromise security by using Afghan territory.”

  • PTI hired lobbyists to malign Pakistan, alleges Attaullah Tarar

    PTI hired lobbyists to malign Pakistan, alleges Attaullah Tarar

    Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar on Wednesday denounced Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan for allegedly masterminding the cipher conspiracy for his own gains. He said that the party hired a lobbying firm for the recent US Congress hearing involving Donald Lu, Assistant Secretary of State.

    Testifying before a Congressional panel yesterday, the top US diplomat said: “I wanna be very clear on this point [that] this conspiracy theory is a lie [and] it is a complete falsehood.”
    The federal information minister condemned PTI for its anti-state narrative, including recent protests that took place outside the headquarters of International Monetary Fund (IMF). He said the sole purpose of the protests were to derail the debt agreement talks currently being finalized.

    “The PTI hired lobbyists in the United States for a congress hearing on the so-called regime change conspiracy, but their leader could not evade divine justice,” he said citing a proverb “man proposes and God disposes”.

    He pointed out that historically Pakistan had rarely witnessed an instance where a person would jeopardize national interests for his own ego, pointing towards Imran Khan.

    PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Khan talked with the media outside the High Court and said that the protests outside the IMF’S headquarters in the US were organized by overseas Pakistanis and that the party did not send anyone from Pakistan to organize it.

  • Azfar and Mani speak out: Reasons behind ending support for Imran Khan

    Azfar and Mani speak out: Reasons behind ending support for Imran Khan

    Comedians and actors Azfar and Mani have talked to The Independent Urdu about why why they were disappointed with former Prime Minister Imran Khan on their popular show, ‘The Azfar Mani Show’.
    “We liked Imran Khan since we were kids, so we talked about why we changed,” Azfar said.
    “I’ve been supporting PTI for 8 to 9 years,” said Mani.

    “We did many interviews with Imran Khan and visited him in Bani Gala. We thought he was great,” said Azfar. “But when he changed, we decided to change too,” he added. “When he became the PM, we were shocked by how quickly he changed. That’s when we decided to make the episode, which was quite long,” explained Azfar.

    The duo said they didn’t criticize PTI but only talked about how Imran Khan had changed. After the episode aired, they received a lot of criticism. When they saw how many people watched the episode, they decided to start the show.
    Mani explained why he stopped supporting Imran Khan in the interview:

    “In 2011, I joined PTI and was very involved at that time, especially when elections were delayed. I began making videos criticizing MQM, especially Altaf Hussain. I faced a lot of online abuse on Facebook, but Mustafa Kamal encouraged me to continue,” Mani shared.

    Mani mentioned that during the 2013 elections, he was very active and vocal, campaigning in Karachi. He recalled a time when the former prime minister lost, and his wife Hira protested against it. “But there came a point when I realised that Imran Khan is not the right fit for Karachi,” recalled the ‘Teri Meri Kahaniyaan’ actor.

  • Political rallies are not terrorism: SC

    Political rallies are not terrorism: SC

    The Supreme Court granted bail to five suspects nominated cases pertaining to May 9 riots.

    A three-member bench led by Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail and comprising Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi and Justice Mussarat Hilali on Wednesday took up bail applications of the accused suspects nominated under various laws including the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), 1997 for rioting and vandalizing Hamza Camp in Rawalpindi.

    Last year, nationwide protests and riots took place on May 9 after the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan from the premises of Islamabad High Court. Social media feeds were filled with videos showing acts of vandalism all over the country.

    During the hearing, Justice Mandokhail asked, “How is carrying out rallies [equivalent to] terrorism?”
    Justice Mandokhail asked the authorities whether they were aware of the conditions under which Anti-Terrorism Act could be enacted.

    “Recently, an incident of terrorism occurred in which officers were martyred [in North Waziristan]. The attack on Peshawar’s Army Public School was an act of terror. The suicide attack on lawyers in Quetta was an act of terror.”

    Justice Mandokhail criticized the authorities and asked, “Is carrying out rallies or being a worker of a political party a crime?”

    The Judge also emphasized that banning political parties and student unions had gotten the country to this point.
    The SC later granted bail to the suspects by accepting their bail requests against surety bonds of Rs50,000 each.

  • ‘Ghar police bhaij doon ga’; Ali Amin Gandapur warns Maryam Nawaz, Zardari

    ‘Ghar police bhaij doon ga’; Ali Amin Gandapur warns Maryam Nawaz, Zardari

    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has warned the Punjab government as well as the federal government to change their behaviours or he will “send police” to their homes, The News reported on Thursday.

    “Stop threatening me, or else we would send police to your homes,” Gandapur said while referring to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and President Asif Ali Zardari, after Anti-Terrorism Court Judge Malik Ijaz Asif issued non-bailable warrants against him in the alleged May 9 riots case on Tuesday.

    Non-bailable arrest warrants are also issued against multiple Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders, including Murad Saeed, Shibli Faraz, Shahbaz Gill, and retired Lieutenant Colonel Shabbir Awan.

    Warrants were also issued for former PTI leaders Shireen Mazari, Musarrat Jamshed Cheema, and Saad Jamil Abbasi.

    Ali Amin Gandapur also said that the first information reports (FIRs) against him are “fake,” adding that it would be difficult for Punjab and the federal government to operate if they do not change their behaviours.