Tag: trending

  • Army gets more land for ‘agriculture’

    Army gets more land for ‘agriculture’

    The Pakistan Army is set to start agriculture farming on 41,000 acres of land in South Waziristan’s Zarmalam area.

    Peshawar Corps Commander Lieutenant General Sardar Hasan Azhar Hayat has said that the army was determined to increase agricultural farming in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as per Geo News.

    Lt Gen Hayat said the army has prepared a farming plan on 41,000 acres of land that had been barren for years.

    The officer was of the view that there is a vast opportunity for investment in minerals, hydropower, agriculture, and tourism in KP that can help boost the province’s resources.

    The three-star officer said the army has worked together with the civil government to bring investment in minerals, agriculture, hydropower, and tourism to the province, which is yielding positive results.

    The Pakistan Army’s decision has sparked mixed reactions among locals and experts, with some expressing concerns over the potential implications for the region.

    The move, which involves the cultivation of 41,000 acres of land, has raised questions about the long-term impact on the area’s ecosystem and implications for local communities.

    Critics argue that the project’s scale could lead to significant land and water resource depletion, impacting the livelihoods of communities dependent on the land.

    Additionally, there have been concerns about the army’s increasing involvement in civilian sectors, with some experts cautioning against potential overreach and the need to ensure civilian oversight in such initiatives.

    On October 1st this year, The Pakistan Army launched the first agriculture project under the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) to make barren lands cultivable in South Waziristan.

    The pilot project launched in the Zarmalam district of South Waziristan oversaw 1,000 acres of barren land made suitable for cultivation.

    The Pakistan Army’s decision has sparked mixed reactions among locals and experts, with some expressing concerns over the potential implications for the region.

    The move, which involves the cultivation of 41,000 acres of land, has raised questions about the long-term impact on the area’s ecosystem and the implications for local communities.

    Critics argue that the project’s scale could lead to significant land and water resource depletion, impacting the livelihoods of communities dependent on the land.

    Additionally, there have been concerns about the army’s increasing involvement in civilian sectors, with some experts cautioning against potential overreach and the need to ensure civilian oversight in such initiatives.

  • Children and women will be exempted from bio-metric verification, says Sarfraz Bugti

    The spokesperson for The Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan and caretaker Interior Minister, Sarfraz Bugti, held a discussion with Afghan High Commissioner Ahmed Shakaib, deciding that children and women will be exempted from scanning by NADRA. Only male adults will be scanned for verification.

    “The interior ministry issued directions that females and children below the age of 14 will not be scanned for entry by NADRA. Only male adults would be scanned during the voluntary repatriation,” reported Dawn. Only a “head count” of women and children will be done for record purposes.

    The decision was made keeping in context the heavy influx of Afghan citizens on the borders as the deadline for leaving has passed and deportation has started. A huge number of people are also coming in for voluntary repatriation and it was feared that the situation could spiral out of control. This directive could smoothen the process a bit.

    Authorities are asked to be gentle as any aggression will lead to consequences. A special helpline number has been set up by the ministry and every complaint will be catered to on an emergency basis. The Afghan Embassy has also been asked to send a representative who can work closely with the Interior Ministry.

    So far, 165,000 Afghan immigrants have left for Afghanistan during voluntary repatriation. On Thursday, a total of 19,344 undocumented immigrants left via Torkham.

    Officials at the border crossing in Angoor Adda in KP’s South Waziristan district said that 294 Afghan immigrants, including 129 children, voluntarily left for Afghanistan on Thursday.

    Out of 572 refugees taken into custody, 200 were sent back as they produced valid documents while 384 were sent to Chaman for deportation. 1,176 Afghans volunteered to reach Chaman on their own.

    The crackdown in Punjab will start today as per the officials.

  • ‘She knew what she was doing’: Twitter users outraged at Kim Kardashian’s insensitive Halloween costume

    ‘She knew what she was doing’: Twitter users outraged at Kim Kardashian’s insensitive Halloween costume

    Kim Kardashian is once more going viral for all the wrong reasons. The reality TV star was publicly criticised for her vocal support for Israel a few weeks ago as well as her ongoing silence on the genocide in Gaza which has now claimed close to 9000 civilian lives.

    Kim posted pictures of her family celebrating Halloween, where her sons were seen dressed as injured football stars with bruises and bandages.

    Twitter users were outraged, pointing out that the costumes bore an uncanny resemblance to photos of injured Palestinian children in football jerseys. Approximately 4000 children have been killed, as per the Gaza Ministry of Health.

    “Isn’t scary to think that an actual child in Gaza actually looks like this now? But sure Kim have fun this Halloween…” a user commented.

    “even if it wasn’t intentional, how many braincells do you need to read the room when social media is flooded with bloodied and broken children’s bodies stop looking up to these brain dead celebrities.” Another user posted.

  • ‘This is so sad’: Armeena Khan calls for end to Afghan refugees deportation

    ‘This is so sad’: Armeena Khan calls for end to Afghan refugees deportation

    Pakistani actress Armeena Khan has called for an end to the deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Armeena wrote:

    “It would be CRIMINAL of me not to talk about 1.7 million Afghans who are being displaced from Pakistan, their homes being bull dozed. This is absolutely vile! How can we treat them this way? I cannot talk about Gaza without talking about the plight of the Afghans. This is so sad.”

    When a user tried to school her, Armeena slammed him on the double standards of Pakistanis who are protesting for a Free Palestine but on the other hand, are pushing Afghan refugees out of their country.

    “People like you are no different than the war mongering factions of the Israelites. Two sides of the same coin. Spare the Palestinians your hypocrisy. The Pakistani Afghans are also your Muslim brothers and sisters.”

    Veteran actress and model Iffat Omar also joined in by sharing a picture of a boy stranded on a truck and writing in the caption “This is really heart breaking.”

  • Imran’s doctor denies report that Khan being slow poisoned

    Imran’s doctor denies report that Khan being slow poisoned

    Former Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan’s personal physician, Dr Faisal Sultan, has denied reports that Imran Khan is being slow-poisoned in Adiala jail, Geo reported on Friday.  

    Shile talking to journalists after visiting Imran Khan in Adiala jail, Dr. Sultan said that the PTI chief is “fit” and not under the influence of any slow poison.

    “The former prime minister is hale and hearty,” he said.

    On the other hand, Imran Khan denied his involvement in May 9 riots, stating before the joint investigation team (JIT) that he was in jail when the incident occurred, he told the JIT in the presence of his lawyers.

    The JIT, led by SSP (Operations) Rawalpindi Faisal Saleem, comprised SP (Potohar) Waqas Khan, DSP (New Town) Malik Allah Yar, an inspector, and a sub-inspector, was present in Adiala jail for 45 minutes and asked tough questions to the former prime minister.

  • ‘The gora complex is still present among Pakistanis’: Shaista Lodhi

    ‘The gora complex is still present among Pakistanis’: Shaista Lodhi

    Actress and aesthetic surgeon Shaista Lodhi appeared as a guest at the late night talk show ‘Mazaaq Raat’ where she criticised Pakistani obsession with fair skin.

    The actress revealed that several women come to her clinic to improve their skin tone by makin it fairer.

    “Literally, I say to them do you want to look like pigeons? Kyun kay wo already is tarhan ki complexion ki hoti hain kay aur zarorat nah hain. Ab sirf rang phat sakta hai.”

    Previously, speaking on ‘The Talk Talk Show’, Lodhi opened up about coming across clients who came to her after being bullied by their husbands on their physical features. She recalled a patient coming along with her husband, who jokingly suggested to the surgeon to make his wife look like her.

    Previously, speaking on ‘The Talk Talk Show’, Lodhi opened up about coming across clients who came to her after being bullied by their husbands on their physical features. She recalled a patient coming along with her husband, who jokingly suggested to the surgeon to make his wife look like her.

    READ MORE: ‘A patient revealed she was kicked out of her house by her husband because of her stretch marks’: Shaista Lodhi

    “You can see the way women are treated in our society,” lamented the ‘Pardes’ actress. “That girl was sitting in a corner and politely laughing while I wanted to slap him right away. But that woman kept silent, even though it must be torturous for her to stay with such a man who keeps taunting her with things like ‘Tumharay baal hain’, ‘tumharay boaht ziada baal hain’..”

  • FEB 8 2024

    President Arif Alvi announced on Thursday that the general elections will take place in the country on February 8, 2024.

    The X (former Twitter) account tweeted, “On today’s order of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, the Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan, Mr. Sikandar Sultan Raja, along with the Attorney General for Pakistan, Mr. Mansoor Usman Awan, and four members of the Election Commission of Pakistan, came to meet President Dr. Arif Alvi, at Aiwan-e-Sadr, to discuss the date for holding the forthcoming General Elections in the country. The President heard about the progress the ECP has made in delimitation and for elections.”

    It further stated, “After a detailed discussion the meeting unanimously agreed to hold General Elections in the country on 8th February 2024.”

    The Election Commission of Pakistan has also tweeted that elections will be held on February 8.

    The development comes hours after Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa directed the ECP to confer with Alvi on the poll date after the electoral body said that elections would be held on February 11.

    “Let the ECP meet with the President of Pakistan today and the date for holding general elections in Pakistan be appointed,” the top judge said in a written order, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com.

    He directed AGP Awan to arrange the meeting, provide Alvi with the court order and be available to render assistance. “We expect that the matter of appointing a date for holding general elections shall be settled, and this court will be informed tomorrow (Nov 3),” Justice Isa added.

    The order was issued after a three-judge bench comprising the CJP, Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan and Justice Athar Minallah heard a set of petitions, calling for holding elections within 90 days after the dissolution of the National Assembly and the provincial legislatures.

  • Bahrain to cut diplomatic and economic ties with Israel

    Bahrain to cut diplomatic and economic ties with Israel

    Bahrain has severed its economic ties with Israel, recalling its ambassador as the country continues bombarding Gaza.

    Bahrain took the step in the wake of Israel’s war on Gaza to show its support for the Palestinian cause and “The legitimate right of Palestinian people.”

    The Israeli ambassador had already left Bahrain. This announcement comes on the heels of Jordan’s decision to summon its envoy back home.

    Bahrain is the first Arab country to recall its ambassador from among the four that signed the Abraham Accords with Israel back in 2020. This agreement of normalization of ties brought in huge economic deals and the start of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

    Since October 7, Colombia, Chile, and Bolivia have cut ties with Israel and Bahrain is the newest addition to the list.

  • Father confesses to killing son after boy refused to call him ‘papa’

    Father confesses to killing son after boy refused to call him ‘papa’

    A man from Saudabad, Karachi has been arrested for killing his eight-year-old son. The father, Amir, has confessed in front of the police that he was enraged as the boy refused to call him “papa”.

    Amaan’s body was found in Bhains Colony a few days after the father’s complaint of the boy being lost. However, the investigation revealed that the boy was tortured, killed, and dumped by his own father.

    Amaan had come to visit his biological father, as he stayed with his adoptive parents. He was adopted by Amir’s friend and had come to meet his mother, a few days before his death. Amir forced the child to call him ‘papa’, to which the child refused.

    In a fit of rage, Amir then assaulted the child, killing him.

  • How politicians are reacting to election date

    How politicians are reacting to election date

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) told the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) that general elections will take place on February 11, 2024. Different political leaders of multiple political parties reacted to the announcement of election date.

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) senior leader Qamar Zaman Kaira told SAMMA TV that the announcement of the election date has helped to end uncertainty in Pakistan politics.

    “The date announcement was necessary so political parties could start the political process. In fact, the PPP has launched the electoral campaign process. Let’s end the uncertainty,” Kaira said.

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawyer, Barristor Syed Ali Zafar, said in a tweet that, “Supreme Court has said once date of election given it will be written in stone and shall not be changed. After the meeting between President and ECP, the date will be announced hopefully today. This could be a historic and game changing decision by SC. Constitution is supreme.”

    On the other hand, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) declared the announcement of election’s date a good development.

    PML-N leader Muhammad Zubair said that it’s a good thing that ECP is conducting elections on February 11, 2024.

    “There was uncertainty related to the election in the country. It is written very clearly in the constitution regarding the election,” he said.

    Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam (JUI-F) leader Hafiz Hamdullah also said that his party is ready for elections. “Now the ECP has told the apex court that elections will be held on February 11,” he added.

    Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) also stated that conducting elections is a responsibility of ECP. MQM-P’s leader, Amin ul Haq, said that the election date announcement is a good omen and would take the country ahead.