Tag: trending

  • ‘When you have your crowd then you get the support’: Saud Shakeel

    ‘When you have your crowd then you get the support’: Saud Shakeel

    Pakistan paid a heavy price for being “under extra pressure” in their World Cup defeat by arch-rivals India, said batsman Saud Shakeel, who Wednesday lamented the absence of the team’s passionate supporters from the tournament.

    Pakistan were thrashed by seven wickets on Saturday at Ahmedabad’s 132,000-capacity stadium where there was only a handful of Pakistani supporters.

    Babar Azam’s team slumped from a solid 155-2 in the 30th over to be dismissed for a paltry 191.

    “I think we were under extra pressure so we tried to get out of that and wanted to play shots,” Shakeel told AFP on Wednesday.

    The smattering of Pakistani fans at the game were expatriates from the United Kingdon and United States.

    Supporters from across the border are effectively banned after a failure to gain visas.

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Wednesday lodged an official complaint with the world governing body over the visa delays which have also kept many members of the country’s media at home.

    The PCB also complained over what they described as the “inappropriate behaviour” of Indian fans towards the Pakistan squad at the Ahmedabad game.

    “When you have your crowd then you get the support. We did not get that and it was not in our hands,” added Shakeel.

    Despite an eighth loss in eight World Cup meetings with their arch-rivals, Pakistan are still well-placed in the tournament after wins over the Netherlands and Sri Lanka.

    Middle-order batsman Shakeel scored 68 against the Netherlands before making 31 in the game with Sri Lanka. He was out for just six against India.

    Next up for Pakistan is another high-profile duel, this time with five-time champions Australia in Bengaluru on Friday.

    “The mistakes we committed in the last game, we must overcome them. That match is gone. If we win against Australia then our position will get better,” added Shakeel.

    “Australia are always good in the World Cup. They are a very good side. We know our strong areas and we must play good cricket.”

    “We had a good start to the tournament with two wins. We want to go match by match and not commit the mistakes we did against India.”

    On Wednesday, all the Pakistan players with the exception of Mohammad Haris trained in Bengaluru.

    Haris is still suffering from a fever which laid low many of the squad when they arrived from Ahmedabad.

    Star fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi and opener Abdullah Shafique were the worst hit but were present in the nets at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

  • Good news for Imran Khan

    Good news for Imran Khan

    Former Prime Minister and Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Imran Khan, who is currently in Adiala jail, facing Cipher case trial, can finally take a breath of relief.

    The judge of a special court under the Official Secrets Act has granted permission to Imran Khan to speak to his sons over the phone.

    Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain, the judge of Islamabad’s official secret court, heard the request to allow a telephonic conversation between the Chairman of PTI and his sons. Imran Khan’s lawyer, Shiraz Ranjha, appeared before the court.

    During the hearing, the judge stated that no information had been received yet regarding the telephone conversation with the Adiala Jail Superintendent. However, the judge added that if any information came to light concerning the telephone conversation in the jail, he would address it accordingly.

    Lawyer Shiraz Ranjha said during the hearing that Imran Khan wants a bicycle for exercise in jail.

    Judge Zulqarnain responded that he had already issued directives to the jail officials for providing a cycle, to which Ranjha said he could provide the cycle today if the court allowed.

    “I do not want the cycle to be misused such that the jail superintendent keeps using the cycle. We also have to keep the jail manual in mind. For us, the security of an under-trial prisoner is important,” the judge said.

    At this, the lawyer offered that the court may appoint a person in whose supervision the cycle could be used.

    After a brief adjournment, the court resumed the hearing, during which Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain mentioned that certain SOPs had been brought to his attention, prohibiting the accused from speaking.

    He further stated that he would look into the matter of telephone conversation according to jail manual regulations.

    However, he requested written authorization for international communication from the jail manual. He stated, “I grant permission for telephonic conversation in your favor.”

    The judge, in a one-page written order, directed the Adiala jail superintendent to ensure that Khan speaks to his sons over the phone.

    The judge also noted that the jail superintendent had “submitted his comments with the respect of SOPs in which there is no doubt that this sought of desired communication through telephone or by other mode in abroad are not warranted, specifically case in hand which is of Official Secret Act Court but the agonies of [the] family cannot [be] kept isolated”.

  • Nawaz’s legal team files protective bail to prevent him from being arrested

    Nawaz’s legal team files protective bail to prevent him from being arrested

    The legal team of frmer prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Nawaz Sharif has filed a bail petition in Islamabad High Court (IHC) to prevent officials from arresting him when he reaches Pakistan on October 21.

    Sharif was declared a proclaimed offender by IHC in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia cases due to non-compliance. After that, he went to London in November 2019 for medical treatment with the permission of the court.

    An accountability court sentenced Nawaz Sharif for 10 years in 2018 in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia references.

    His appeal against the sentence was rejected by an IHC bench comprising of IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Mohsin Akhtar Kayani for non-compliance.

    The Lahore High Court (LHC) suspended the sentence of the three-time former prime minister in Al-Azizia reference in 2019 because of his medical condition.

    Nawaz Sharif is also a fugitive in the Toshakhana case.

    His legal team has filed three protective bail applications, requesting that the IHC direct authorities not to arrest Sharif when he returns to country on October 21.

    After that, the court sent out a notice on Nawaz’s request for protective bail and requested an answer from the NAB by tomorrow.

  • Mardan the model city, free of load-shedding

    Mardan the model city, free of load-shedding

    The crackdown on electricity theft that started more than a month ago has yielded great results. Almost Rs26 billion have been recovered and in the next 12 months, this amount is expected to reach a total of Rs300 billion, officials have stated. 

    In an attempt to incentivise the public for their cooperation, Mardan has been declared a model city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Talking at a ceremony, Secretary Power Sector, Rashid Langrial, categorically stated that the ones who will pay the bill will get electricity. He further announced that 17 feeders of the city have become free of load shedding because it has managed to evade all kinds of electricity theft in a matter of time.  

    He goes on to elaborate that the thievery cannot be carried out without the involvement of the employees of power-sector, therefore, many of them have been arrested. He encouraged people to lodge a complaint about any such incident. 

    He warned other Government departments about clearing their remaining electricity dues which will otherwise be deducted  from their budget in the coming year.

  • ‘My heart aches’: Dua Lipa, Malala call for ceasefire in Gaza

    ‘My heart aches’: Dua Lipa, Malala call for ceasefire in Gaza

    After videos emerged online of the horrifying bombing by Israel on a hospital in Gaza, activist Malala Yousafzai and singer Dua Lipa have joined the voices calling for a ceasefire.

    Pop singer Dua Lipa addressed the situation in Palestine with a lengthy statement on her Instagram stories along with a link attached to a post asking for donations for Gaza. The singer penned: “With each passing day, my heart aches for the people of Israel and Palestine. Grief for the lives lost in the horrifying attacks in Israel. Grief as I witness the unprecedented suffering in Gaza, where 2.2 million souls, half of them children, endure unimaginable hardships.”

    The Grammy winning singer ended her note by urging for a ceasefire in Gaza and called for governments to “halt the unfolding crisis.”

     

    Nobel Prize winning activist Malala Yousafzai shared a video where she urged for peace and called for a ceasefire in Gaza, writing:

    “I’m horrified to see the bombing of al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza and unequivocally condemn it. I urge the Israeli government to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza and reiterate the call for a ceasefire. I am directing $300K to three charities helping Palestinian people under attack.”

    I’m horrified to see the bombing of al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza and unequivocally condemn it. I urge the Israeli government to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza and reiterate the call for a ceasefire. I am directing $300K to three charities helping Palestinian people under attack. pic.twitter.com/JiIPfnTUvY

    — Malala Yousafzai (@Malala) October 17, 2023

    Malala’s statement was criticised for not naming who was responsible for the Gaza bombing. Writer Fatima Bhutto wrote: “Call it what it is: a genocide. Call Israel by its name: an apartheid state”

    Call it what it is: a genocide.
    Call Israel by its name: an apartheid state. https://t.co/LNzWMmYgBY

    — fatima bhutto (@fbhutto) October 17, 2023

    Journalist Alia Chughtai wrote:

    “We heard for years @Malala speaking against terrorism, yet you can’t name Israel as the occupying force, or them being the one being the perpetrators. Your PR team clearly manages your statements, and you are disappointing for not speaking up against this terrorism. Shame.”

    We heard for years @Malala speaking against terrorism, yet you can’t name Israel as the occupying force, or them being the one being the perpetrators. Your PR team clearly manages your statements, and you are disappointing for not speaking up against this terrorism. Shame. https://t.co/HZRBNfcLiu

    — Alia Chughtai (@AliaChughtai) October 18, 2023

  • Court nullifies lifetime imprisonment of  PML-N’s Hanif Abbasi in ephedrine quota case

    Court nullifies lifetime imprisonment of  PML-N’s Hanif Abbasi in ephedrine quota case

    The Lahore High Court (LHC) has discharged Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hanif Abbasi in the ephedrine quota case, as well as nullifying his lifetime sentence.

    A two-member bench announced the decision on the PML-N leader’s appeal against the sentence.

    In the last hearing, Justice Aalia Neelum and Justice Asjad Javed Ghural had reserved the judgement after hearing arguments from lawyers.

    Hanif Abbasi was sentenced to life imprisonment by a special court on July 21, just a few days before 2018 general elections for control of narcotics substance (CNS).

    In 2012, he and his co-accused were charged by the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) for misusing 500kg of ephedrine, citing Sections 9-C, 14, and 15 of the Control of Narcotics Substances (CNS) Act. He was contesting election in NA-60, Rawalpindi against main rival, Sheikh Rashid Ahmad of Awami Muslim League. However, he was disqualified after being found guilty in the case.

    The PML-N leader said in an appeal that the sentence was politically motivated, and there were eight suspects in case, but only the appellant got convicted. It was also mentioned in the appeal that the appellant didn’t misuse the ephedrine quota but the trial court ignored this fact and announced its decision.   

    “I was kept away from two elections (due to the case) and my daughter was also kicked out of her job,” Abbasi claimed. He also shared that his younger brother was kept in illegal confinement for 14 days.

    “If Sheikh Rashid contests the election, then the competition will be in the polls,” said Abbasi.

  • ‘Cry to my lord’: Pakistani celebrities shocked at Gaza hospital bombing

    ‘Cry to my lord’: Pakistani celebrities shocked at Gaza hospital bombing

    On 17 October, Israeli jets bombed the al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza, where countless Palestinians had sought medical treatment and refuge from the ongoing genocide. Reports say that the strike was the deadliest attack committed by Israel in its history, with 500 confirmed dead and the death toll rising, according to Al-Jazeera.

    Celebrities like Ushna Shah and Osman Khalid Butt took to social media to express their outrage at the world’s apathy towards the Palestinian genocide.

    Ushna Shah wrote: “A hospital. A HOSPITAL! What do we boycott? Where do we strike? What do we do? Someone tell me what to do! All I am able to do currently is pray and cry to my Lord, hold my dear ones close and write on this platform. Someone tell us what to do, where to begin.”

    Actor Osman Khalid Butt demanded an immediate ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid to enter into Gaza.

    Writer and columnist Fatima Bhutto criticised Israel’s attempts to distract the world from its crimes by attempting to thwart the narrative.

    British-Pakistani boxer Amir Khan shared videos of the sea of dead bodies found after the bombing, and expressed his grief over the loss of lives in Gaza.

  • Israeli propaganda getting help from Indians

    Israeli propaganda getting help from Indians

    Ahead of the statement given by Israeli Ambassador to India, Naor Gilon, about being “overwhelmed” by the unprecedented response he has received from the country, Indians have become an active part of the Israeli propaganda team all across social media.

    In his interview to The Economic Times, Gilon stated that with this kind of support from Indians, he believes “he could have another IDF with the (Indian) volunteers” because everyone is calling him to offer help. He goes on to elaborate that “the closeness India and Israel has is understandable but cannot be explained, It’s something very unique.”

    The Ambassador also posted messages of solidarity by spectators in the Pak vs India match and as recently as some hours ago posted about Hamas being the culprit behind the bombing of Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital. Indian media quotes him as their official resource as Gilon retweets journalists and media houses propagating the false narrative.

    There are a number of accounts on social media titled Indians for Israel or India stands with Israel. Added to that are fake accounts posing as Palestinians, even Al Jazeera reporters (Farida Khan) spreading Anti-Hamas and Pro-Israeli narrative. A number of tweets were found and reported to have similar content.

    Al-Jazeera has reported about the virality of disinformation caused by the blue-ticked accounts terming them “disinfluencers” with budding Islamophobic conspiracy theories. The article takes a closer look at the “BJP IT Cell” to which most Islamopobic content and trolling is likely to be attributed to.
    Author and Journalist Marc Owen Jonas has revealed many instances of fake-news including a video circulating on social media, mostly shared by Indians, gaining millions of impressions and retweets about girls becoming sex-slaves for Hamas. A closer look shows them to be happily chatting and using phones.

    However, there are some voices of dissent too, which get rebuked but stand tall in their stance. Ravi Nair, an esteemed journalist, not just voiced his opinion on India’s growing inclination towards right-wing but also exposed the original supporters of Zionism.
    In one of his tweets he said, “Hello, Israel, we Indians don’t support right-wing criminals whether Zionists or Hindutavaadis.”

    To which he got hate from American Hindu Republican Renee Lynn in these words, “If you want to support Terrorists because you are brainwashed and want to shout Allahu Akbar then go away. You are not the majority in India”.

    Pratik Sinha associated with ALT News, a credible fact checker resource has said, “With India now exporting its disinformation actors in the Indian mainstream media and on social media in support of Israel, hopefully the world will now realise how the Indian right-wing has made India the disinformation capital of the world”.

  • Man and his mule quenching the thirst of Gazans

    Man and his mule quenching the thirst of Gazans

    Israel has blocked the water supply of Palestinians stuck in Gaza since the launch of its military offensive against the strip. Reports by the UN have also affirmed that more than two million Palestinians do not have access to water.

    Jameel al-Karoubi is the silver lining in these terrible times, a Palestinian who gets up before the crack of the dawn and takes his mule Almond to the streets of Gaza to provide people with water.

    He says he has promised his friend Almond an extra sack of fodder on completion of the noble task and he has been fulfilling the promise ever since.

    Before the war disrupted everything, Jameel was a vegetable vendor but for the last ten days, all he does is get two big tanks filled with water and take it to the destitute people of Gaza. He has been able to pull this off because of the well of natural water in his house which is proving extremely beneficial in the face of Israeli blockage of water lines to Gaza.

    He refuses to take any money for his service. People in his neighbourhood consider him a Godsend for getting hold of water let alone drinkable water, a task close to impossible in Gaza right now. He also gives away all the extra fruit and vegetables that are grown in his garden.

    Jameel wants to help people of other localities too but the destruction caused by the Israeli forces has hampered the roads and pathways to other parts of the city. Even though he is risking his life, he has the support of his family. They are proud of his contribution to help the besieged people.

    Jameel is proof that humanity is very much alive in the hearts of the people even when there is no light in sight. He is determined to extend his support to all the needy.

  • Strict action will be taken against officials who neglect duties in polls, says Sikandar Sultan Raja

    Strict action will be taken against officials who neglect duties in polls, says Sikandar Sultan Raja

    Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja warned government officials that strict action will be taken against them if they will show “political bias”, adding that free and fair elections are necessary for a strong democracy.  

    A day earlier, while heading a meeting at the Provincial Election Commission Secretariat, Raja Sikandar said that all resources will be brought into service for unbiased and peaceful polls. He also offered assurances that Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will provide full support to the provincial government.

    “There will be no tolerance for any form of political bias among government employees, and immediate action will be taken if such complaints arise,” warned the CEC.

    The ECP secretary briefly detailed preparations for general elections as well as revised the electoral rolls and process of voter registration.

    On the other hand, Sindh election commissioner also informed the meeting about preparations for general elections in the province.

    The Sindh chief secretary also told the huddle that Sindh government will fully cooperate with ECP in the upcoming polls.