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  • Petition against Imran, Bushra nikah dismissed

    Petition against Imran, Bushra nikah dismissed

    Civil Judge, Islamabad, Qudrat Ullah has dismissed a petition challenging the nikah between Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi on Friday after it was withdrawn by the petitioner.

    Muhammad Hanif, the petitioner, had moved the court seeking legal action against the former prime minister for marrying his present wife while she was reportedly on iddat, but he withdrew his case, leading to its dismissal.

    In an application submitted in the court, the petitioner said: “For the time being, the applicant wants to withdraw the above said complaint due to technical reasons.”

    “If permission to withdraw the complaint is not accorded, applicant shall suffer irreparable loss,” he stated.

    Keeping in view the statement of the complainant, Judicial Magistrate (East) Qudrat Ullah granted permission for the withdrawal of the complaint under Section 248 Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and wrapped up the case.

    Imran-Bushra marriage case

    The petitioner, Muhammad Hanif, had claimed that Bushra Bibi was divorced by her former husband in November 2017 and married Khan on January 1, 2018, despite the fact that the iddat period had not ended, “which is against the Sharia and Muslim norms.”

    The complainant submitted in the court the statement of Mufti Muhammad Saeed, who solemnised the marriage between Imran and Bushra, where he had said that the PTI chief married Bushra Bibi during the latter’s iddat (the time a woman goes into isolation after her husband dies or divorces her), despite knowing everything.

    In his statement to a lower court, Saeed said he had solemnised Khan’s nikah with Bushra Bibi on January 1, 2018, over the assurance of a woman claiming to be the former first lady’s sister.

    “Then the former premier contacted me again in February 2018 and requested me to solemnise his nikah with Bushra Bibi again as the first time it was against the Shariah,” Saeed stated before the court.

    He said that the first time when the nikah was solemnised, Bushra Bibi’s Iddat hadn’t ended.

    He quoted Khan as saying that Bushra Bibi had been divorced in November 2017 and that there was a “prediction” that the PTI chairman would become the prime minister of Pakistan if he married Bushra Bibi.

    Mufti Saeed added that the first nikah was illegal, which had been solemnised based on the “prediction”.

    The complainant also submitted the statement of Aun Chaudhry, a witness to the marriage and former political secretary to former prime minister Imran Khan, who claimed in court that their marriage ceremony and Nikkah were based on “fraud”.

    According to his statement, Imran’s divorce from his previous wife, Reham Khan, took place in 2015, after Bushra Bibi told the former premier to give her divorce immediately.

    “At the time, Reham Khan was not present in the country, but Imran Khan divorced her through email on the advice of Bushra Bibi,” he said.

    “On December 31, 2017, Imran said to me that he was going to marry Bushra Bibi the next day. I was surprised and told him that Bushra Bibi was already married. Imran Khan said that Bushra Bibi had been divorced,” he added.

    Aun Chaudhry claimed Imran Khan instructed them for the preparations for the marriage on January 1, 2018, adding that he accompanied Mufti Saeed, the cleric who solemnised the couple’s Nikkah, and PTI leader Zulfi Bukhari to Lahore where Imran Khan’s marriage was solemnised.

    Later, when they realized that the iddat period had not been completed yet, Aun stated “Imran Khan said that the waiting period (Iddat) would be completed on February 18, 2018, and asked me to make arrangements for the marriage on the same date. The waiting period had to be completed between February 14 or 18, 2018. Imran Khan’s second Nikkah took place in Bani Gala whereas the first one had taken place in Lahore.”

    He revealed that Bushra Bibi had been given an “order” that if the Nikkah took place on the first day of 2018, Imran Khan would become the prime minister, adding that the date was chosen keeping in mind the “prediction”.

    Marriage

    In February 2018, the PTI announced that Khan married Bushra Riaz Watoo, better known now as Bushra Bibi, who is a respected faith healer. The ceremony was held in Lahore.

    Although Khan’s sisters were not in attendance, the bride’s mother and friends attended the intimate ceremony.

    Before marrying the spiritual guide, Khan was married twice.

    He first married Jemima Goldsmith, daughter of a British billionaire, in 1995, but it ended in 2004. He has two kids, Suleman and Qasim, from his first wife. Both of them live with their mother.

    His second marriage was to Reham Khan in January 2015, which dissolved in a short span of 10 months.

  • What did Bilawal and Zardari talk about before he left for Dubai?

    What did Bilawal and Zardari talk about before he left for Dubai?

    Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari called his father, party’s co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, soon after a controversial interview he gave to Hamid Mir aired on Geo News.

    The former president of Pakistan and Bilawal’s father, Asif Ali Zardari, during an exclusive interview with Hamid Mir on Geo News’ program “Capital Talk”, said that Bilawal is “inexperienced” and that it would take some time for him to gain more exposure, on Thursday.

    “Bilawal is much more talented than I am, but he isn’t experienced,” he said.

    Talking to Geo News’ Shahzeb Khanzada on Friday, Hamid Mir said that soon after the interview, Bilawal called Zardari to explain his narrative.

    “Now, after giving the interview, when he sat in his room, Bilawal called him in front of me. Bilawal tried explaining it to him — and just like a father would talk to his son — Zardari told Bilawal that you don’t need to explain yourself to me,” Mir added.

    He further explained that Zardari told his son the questions were very tough, and he needed to answer them. “Bilawal tried to explain that his narrative wasn’t targeting him and that he was talking about the politics that’s been going on for the past 70 years.”

    According to Mir, Zardari responded with a yes and further said, “But you don’t need to clarify yourself.”

    Bilawal then told Zardari that he would not be able to watch his interview completely because he was boarding a plane to Dubai, Mir said, adding that the former foreign minister said he would watch the interview later.

    Mir asked Zardari why Bilawal was leaving for Dubai. He explained that Sanam Bhutto was coming to Dubai and that he would also leave for Dubai. He said that it was a family gathering and it was pre-planned. Zardari and Bilawal are set to come back soon.

    Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has been campaigning across the country, touting his party as the solution to Pakistan’s ills, while also asking “old politicians (babay)” to sit back and allow the new generation to lead from the front in the elections slated to take place on February 8 next year.

    “Several PPP old-aged leaders, I got to know, also asked Bilawal whether he wanted them to leave. But Bilawal told them that he did not want them to leave. He told them that he wasn’t talking about them.”

    Mir, however, also said that there is no doubt that several questions have been raised after this interview. “But because I’ve known Zardari for years, his actual message wasn’t about Bilawal. But since he’s his son, it became the headlines.”

  • Cold rainy weekend ahead for Sindh and Balochistan

    Cold rainy weekend ahead for Sindh and Balochistan

    The Metrological Department has predicted rain in areas of Sindh and Balochistan.

    Punjab is to have overcast conditions in the plain regions but it will largely be covered with smog and fog earlier in the day.

    Tharparker, Umarkot, Badeen, Mirpurkhas, and Thatta will face heavy rain with thunderstorms. Light rain is possible in Karachi and Jamshoro as well.

    The Meteorological Department has said that a system of winds has entered the country from the west which will cause gales in the western and southern regions of Balochistan along with thunderstorms.

  • Jemima Khan shares joyful news of son launching app

    Film screenwriter Jemima Khan took to her X (formerly Twitter) account to share the happy news that her son Kasim Khan, has finally launched his own app Mifu, which will help influencers connect with marketing brands.

    “So proud of my son,” Jemima tweeted.

    Many tweets congratulated Jemima while others were heartbroken at how his father, former prime minister Imran Khan, was not able to attend the joyous occasion because of imprisonment.

    Journalist Fifi Haroon congratulated Jemima by writing: “

    Hey very cool Jemima. Best of luck to the young man (who looks so much like you BTW) for every success!”

  • Does the ex-head of Drug Regulatory Authority have a fake PhD?

    Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) has lodged a complaint against the ex-CEO of the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) for acquiring the position on the basis of a fake PhD degree, reports Geo.

    Sheikh Akhtar Hussain remained CEO DRAP from 2018 till 2019. FIA has begun searching for Hussain to investigate the matter

    The findings were discovered by the anti-corruption circle in FIA.

  • Defence Phase 7 car collision: Deputy Investigation Officer suspended on request of head of deceased family

    Defence Phase 7 car collision: Deputy Investigation Officer suspended on request of head of deceased family

    In an interview with Urdu Point, the head of the family whose six members were killed in an accident after being hit by an underage driver, Rafaqat Ali, has said that he’s facing difficulty in seeking justice.

    Calling the incident “target killing”, Rafaqat recounts the accident and the harassment his family faced by the teenager driving the car. He clarified that nobody has threatened him but the cold behaviour of the police is repulsive. Earlier, in an interview which was conducted a day after the incident, he claimed that he had been receiving threats.

    He went on to explain his dejection seeing police siding with the accused as in the court hearing, Afnan was brought late and was also given a mobile phone(iPhone) by his relatives. He added that he was not even shown the reason for remand by the police even though he is the petitioner. Rafaqat Ali relayed that the investigation officer requested the judge to issue a judicial remand as both the alleged culprit and his car are in possession of the police. The deputy of the investigation officer also misbehaved with him when he asked for the digital copy of the judicial remand, saying, “Mein ap kay baap ka naukar hoon.”

    This repelled the father so much that he even thought of “withdrawing” altogether since nothing is in his favour and the opposite party seemed stronger than him. He took the matter to DIG Investigation Imran Kishore who called the Investigation Officer Umar and asked him about the case who said that the judicial remand had been issued by the judge to Kishore and asked how is this possible when it was a case registered under section 302(a constitutional clause that governs punishment for murder).

    Kishore brought up the matter of misbehaviour with him and suspended him instantly, stating that the job of the investigation officer is to serve the petitioner, not the suspect. He also reprimanded another officer for negligence. Now the matter of investigation lies with DSP Kahna Police Station.

    The bail plea of the suspect has been rejected.

    To read more: Teenager friend present in underage driver’s car also arrested

  • In times of division and hatred, Kabli Pulao was the necessary television content we needed

    In times of division and hatred, Kabli Pulao was the necessary television content we needed

    Who would have thought that at a time when Pakistan is seeing discrimination and hatred displayed openly for the vulnerable Afghan refugees, we get to watch a television show displaying cultural solidarity and harmony in such a beautiful manner? When Green Entertainment announced ‘Kabli Pulao’ among their list of to-be-released dramas, many were curious about whether it would follow the lines of the misogynist trope involving an old man marrying a younger woman, given the wide age gap between the main lead actors Sabeen Farooq and Mohammed Ehteshamuddin. But, this is a show every person needs to watch to accept our cultural differences, and that no one is an ‘illegal alien’.

    The drama centres around elderly bachelor Hajji Mushtaq, who spent his life caring for his sisters and their children, and is lovingly referred to as ‘baray abba’ by them. When he meets Barbeena while travelling in Mardan, her brother begs him to marry her to protect her from falling into the hands of her abusive brother-in-law. Hajji Mushtaq reluctantly agrees to do so.

    Their marriage is obviously not met with approval at first. Barbeena’s entry into Mushtaq’s family is met with scorn and racism. Mushtaq’s sisters Chammo and Zubaida at first suspect she is a spy, sent to take over their brother’s wealth and force them out of the family. Barbeena has to pretend she is a newly hired maid, and after a feud reveals that she is actually Mushtaq’s wife, she is met with accusations of shaming the honour of the family.

    But the willingness displayed by Barbeena to win over the family, and especially how she brings joy into Hajji Mushtaq’s life, and then slowly for the rest of the family members, is something no other drama has ever displayed. It is Barbeena’s Afghan background that helps her win over everyone else. In episode four, the family fawns over her roghni naans and her kabli pulao. Barbeena bonds with the younger children by singing Afghan songs, sharing her traditional dresses and dancing with them. Soon she partners with Hajji Mushtaq to set up her business selling the kabli pulao to customers.

    It was some time ago when I was re-watching episode three, where the family hounds Hajji Mustaq and begs him to send Barbeena away. Ironically at this point, there was a heartbreaking video going viral on the internet featuring a young Afghan boy with tears in his eyes saying goodbye to his classmates as his family was being sent back to Afghanistan. Since that moment, we’ve seen consistently how much burden the term ‘illegal alien’ carries, the way it strips a human of their humanity and dignity.

    Videos from Aurat March show how Afghan refugees were kept in cramped conditions, denied basic respect as their children were picked up by officers and ‘accidentally deported’ over racist assumptions. Irony lies in how this is the same country where ‘Kabuli Pulao’ was became one of the best television shows to come out this year, yet it’s sole inspiration, the Afghan refugees, are treated with such malice.

    The enduring message of Barbeena’s resilience, and her blossoming relationship with Hajji Mushtaq, was that there is beauty in our cultural diversity. Barbeena’s uniqueness in her Afghan heritage, turned this drama into more than just a simple love story but a message on how Pakistani’s need to know more than ever to open up their hearts rather than shut them down. Accept our neighbours as our friends rather than turn them away because of our own internalised racism.

    This message resonates with the horrific treatment of the Palestinians in Gaza, and how their oppression is justified with terms like ‘human animals’ and ‘barbarians’. Because now more than ever, us Pakistanis need to become the anti-thesis of hateful rhetoric and learn to hold those close who had no choice but to leave their homes in search of better opportunities.

    All episodes of ‘Kabli Pulao’ are available to watch on Youtube.

  • How does the artificial rain happen?

    How does the artificial rain happen?

    As smog spreads across Punjab, causing a potential health hazard, the caretaker government of the province is considering artificial rain to combat the toxic pollution.

    Cloud formation

    To make artificial rain, there need to be clouds. Experts are saying that they can find these clouds and then use a process called cloud seeding to make it rain.

    Cloud seeding is like giving clouds a little push to make them release rain. Scientists found out about the process in 1946, when they discovered that by using a special mix of silver iodide and dry ice, they could make clouds produce more ice and eventually rain.

    Nowadays, we still use silver iodide and dry ice for cloud seeding, but we’ve gotten better at it. The meteorological department in Pakistan has already tried it out successfully. Other countries, like Gulf nations, also use artificial rain.

    In the United Arab Emirates, scientists are trying a new method, using water-absorbing salt flares. These flares release tiny salt particles into the air, which activate the clouds and speed up the rain-making process. It’s like a high-tech way of helping nature create rain when it’s needed.

    Why is artificial rain important?

    Artificial rain is important because it can help clear out the smog in cities. When it rains, it washes away the pollutants in the air, making it easier for people to breathe and improving overall air quality. It’s a smart solution to a serious problem.

  • Bilawal leaves suddenly for Dubai, day after Zardari says BBZ has a lot to learn

    Bilawal leaves suddenly for Dubai, day after Zardari says BBZ has a lot to learn

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari left the country for Dubai on Friday following what appears to be a dispute with his father.

    Bilawal’s departure comes a day after his father, former President Asif Ali Zardari, said in an interview on Geo News that he was still training his son.

    Bilawal left the country on a private flight. The party is yet to disclose the reason for his visit.

    In a seeming act of defiance to his father, Bilawal changed his profile picture on X on Friday afternoon, to a photo with his mother Benazir Bhutto, the former Prime Minister and head of the PPP till her assassination in 2017.

    The former president of Pakistan and Bilawal’s father, Asif Ali Zardari, during an exclusive interview with Hamid Mir on Geo News’ program “Capital Talk”, said that Bilawal is “inexperienced” and that it would take some time for him to gain more exposure, on Thursday.

    “Bilawal is much more talented than I am, but he isn’t experienced,” he said.

    The former president said the new generation has its own mindset and the right to express itself.

    He further stated that if he tried to intervene in their affairs, it would just lead to more mess.

    “If Bilawal says, ‘You do politics, I won’t’, then what can I do? People learn over time in politics. I have made several mistakes myself.”

    Zardari also mentioned that Bilawal’s narrative would’ve been the same if we were doing business, “You [Zardari] don’t know anything. It’s the same in politics.”

    Zardari said he is the president of the PPPP, which is authorised to allocate election tickets, while his son Bilawal is chairman of the PPP. “I allocate tickets,” he said.

  • Islamophobic Dutch leader Geert Wilders seeks to form government after election victory

    Islamophobic Dutch leader Geert Wilders seeks to form government after election victory

    Far-right populist leader Geert Wilders is all set to form a coalition government after a dramatic election victory.
    Geert is openly anti-Islam and anti-EU, with aims to take the country out of the Union and banning the Quran. He also wants restrictions on asylum and immigration.

    Against all predictions, Wilders’ party PVV won 37 out of 150 seats on Wednesday, well ahead of 25 for a joint Labour/Green ticket and 24 for the conservative People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) of outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

    Talks for the formation of a coalition will follow in the coming months. “I would be very happy to become the Dutch prime minister, of course,” Wilders told party members who welcomed him with champagne and cake, adding that he was willing to negotiate.

    It is predicted that he will have to compromise on his motives because the other parties may not agree to the anti-islam and anti-EU demands.
    Wilders’ victory has caused shockwaves all across Europe, sending a message to all populist leaders across the continent that “a new Europe is possible”.