Tag: trending

  • Shah Mahmood, Hammad Azhar and others to negotiate with govt

    Shah Mahmood, Hammad Azhar and others to negotiate with govt

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has nominated a total of seven people from his party for holding negotiations with the incumbent government.

    The team includes the party’s Senior Vice President Shah Mahmood Qureshi, former federal minister Hammad Azhar, former National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, Murad Saeed and others.

    According to PTI, the team will discuss the matter of elections with the government.

    After the recent string of PTI leaders leaving the party, Khan expressed willingness to negotiate with “anyone who is in power”.

    However, the government does not seem willing to hold talks with the embattled PTI.

    Before the May 9 riots, several rounds of talks took place between PTI and the government to decide on the matter of elections but no fruitful result came out.

    ‘It is an appeal for NRO, not dialogue’: Govt doesn’t want to hold talks with Imran

    Earlier, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb clearly stated that no talks Khan will take place.

    Stating that those who attacked the state must be punished, she said that talks aren’t held with such people. “It is an appeal for NRO, not dialogue”, the minister said.

    Pointing out that Imran had realised the importance of talks only after his party had been shattered, she said, “Now you are saying that you want to hold talks after torching schools, hospitals and ambulances?”

    She also accused Imran of poisoning the minds of youth by spreading chaos in the country.

  • Delhi University to remove chapter about Alama Iqbal from political science textbooks

    A chapter about Allama Iqbal in a book recommended for Political Science syllabus has been removed by Delhi University, after a discussion at the Academic Council meeting.

    According to Indian news organization ANI, the Vice Chancellor, Yogesh Singh, said that those who laid the foundation to break India should not be taught to students:

    “Iqbal wrote songs supporting the ‘Muslim League’ and the ‘Pakistan Movement’. Iqbal was the first to raise the idea of the partition of India and the establishment of Pakistan and said that instead of teaching about such people, we should study our national heroes.”

    The right-wing student movement Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad has welcomed the motion, saying Iqbal was a ‘fanatic theological scholar’ who was responsible for the partition of India.

    “Delhi University academic council decided to scrap fanatic theological scholar Mohd Iqbal from DU’s political science syllabus. It was previously included in BA’s sixth-semester paper titled ‘Modern Indian political thought. Mohammad Iqbal is called the ‘philosophical father of Pakistan’. He was the key player in establishing Jinnah as a leader in Muslim League. Mohammad Iqbal is as responsible for India’s partition as Mohammad Ali Jinnah is.”

  • ‘Then stop singing Urdu ghazals solely’: Twitter is puzzled at Arooj Aftab’s problem with being called an ‘Urdu’ singer

    Arooj Aftab has everyone in a pickle with a tweet where she asked her followers to stop associating her with Pakistani music, or calling her an ‘Urdu singer’.

    The Grammy award winning singer had tweeted:

    “Pakistani singer arooj aftab…… Urdu singer arooj aftab….. arooj Aftab’s amazing Urdu singing… like. It’s fine I guess? But can a person of color musician ever just get to be without this tag to whatever someone else is presuming is our root or heritage.”

    Twitter users were confused by this because as some pointed out, she had built up fame in Western countries using Urdu ghazals like ‘Mohabbat’.

    One user had written:

    “Nobody calls you an urdu singer in pakistan. they call you that in majority english speaking countries, where your claim to fame was an urdu ghazal. your lyrics didn’t come to that audience naturally. they recognize you geographically. we all do that with foreign language music.”

    But Aftab had to clarify in her next tweets that she was not being anti-Pakistani, nor was she criticising her own roots, but her tweets were addressing the Western media who push her into a georgraphical context, which makes it easier for her to be gate-kept.

    “Oh f***k this tweet really awakened the “she’s anti Pakistani!!!” sentiment. Great. I’m not talking about erasing or disowning roots and heritage. while touring eu/uk at the moment, I feel like pushing back on being ONLY allowed to exist in a geographic and linguistic context. This makes it easy for them to other-ize, exclude us and overlook what is achieved, and to gate keep/ glass wall what is further achievable.”

  • Justice Isa raises questions over Bandial’s order to stop audio leaks proceedings

    Justice Isa raises questions over Bandial’s order to stop audio leaks proceedings

    Future Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Qazi Faez Isa adjourned the hearing of a commission to investigate the audio leaks which allegedly involved senior judges and their families a day after CJP Umar Ata Bandial’s order to stop all proceedings.

    However, during the hearing today, Justice Isa, who was heading the commission, raised questions on the decision handed out yesterday.

    Commenting on one of the key issues raised in the petitions filed in the SC yesterday, the judge observed that privacy always belongs to the home.

    “One cannot peep into someone’s house; however, there are CCTV cameras on the streets, are they also against privacy?” he asked.

    He said that the commission was doing nothing that would be considered a breach of anyone’s privacy.

    Defending the commission, he said it should, at least, be determined who was releasing the audios and whether they were real or not.

    He further said that there is talk of giving money to a judge in an audio leak, but the investigation has been stopped.

    “It is written in the oath that I will perform my duties according to the constitution and law,” he said.

    “This inquiry commission has been formed under a law — the Commission of Inquiry Act,” he further remarked, adding that people have to do certain things in life that they do not like.

    Further adding that the judges have to conduct such “painful investigations”, he said: “If this commission was not allowed under oath, I would have excused myself.”

    After this, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz attacked CJP Bandial for stopping the investigation of the audio leaks. It is pertinent to mention that one of the many audio leaks allegedly features Bandial’s mother-in-law talking to a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf member’s wife.

    “Bandial deserves to be punished for making a mockery of the law and making a spectacle of the judiciary to save his family”, Maryam said in a tweet.

  • At least 9 killed after avalanche hits Gilgit Baltistan’s Astore region

    At least 9 killed after avalanche hits Gilgit Baltistan’s Astore region

    At least 9 people were killed and 26 were injured in an avalanche in the Astore district of Gilgit Baltistan on Saturday.

    The accident occurred in the Shounter Top area of the district.

    Local police have confirmed the death toll while also expressing concerns that the number of victims could rise as rescue operations go on. Many individuals are still believed to be buried under the debris.

    Locals gathered to provide support and aid to those affected by the disaster.

    Chief Minister of Gilgit Baltistan Khalid Khurshid Khan expressed sorrow over the fatalities and has ordered complete rescue operations.

  • Indian food inspector drains dam to find fallen phone

    Rajesh Vishwas, a member of the Indian government, was suspended after he gave an order to empty a water reservoir in order to retrieve his phone, BBC reported on Saturday.

    The food inspector was taking a photo when his phone, which was valued at roughly $1,200, fell into the Kherkatta Dam in Chhattisgarh.
    Millions of gallons of water had to be pumped out of the dam. The process of draining the dam took three days.

    Vishwas has said in a video statement that after local divers failed to find it, he paid for a diesel pump to be brought in.

    The process was halted after an official from the water resource department arrived following a complaint.

    “He has been suspended until an inquiry. Water is an essential resource and it cannot be wasted like this,” Kanker district official Priyanka Shukla told an Indian newspaper.

    However, Vishwas insisted that he had not abused his authority and that the water had been drained because it was “

  • Coca-Cola, with an alliance of Beverage Manufacturers in Pakistan, appeal to the Government for a fair and broad-based tax regime and an immediate withdrawal of unprecedented Federal Excise Duty

    Coca-Cola, with an alliance of Beverage Manufacturers in Pakistan, appeal to the Government for a fair and broad-based tax regime and an immediate withdrawal of unprecedented Federal Excise Duty

    Pakistan’s aerated beverage industry is grappling with a significant decline in volume, estimated at 35% to 40%, following the introduction of a 7% Federal Excise Duty (FED) in the February 2023 mini-budget. This latest tax increase has pushed the total FED on the industry to an unsustainable 20%, marking a staggering 50% surge from the previous rate of 13%. The repercussions are reverberating throughout the manufacturing chain, with an expected loss of thousands of jobs. If these regulatory challenges persist, businesses may be compelled to consider shutting down their operations, resulting in a further blow to government revenues, estimated at an annual loss of PKR 6-8 billion in FED collection.

    The beverage industry in Pakistan is already burdened with one of the highest tax rates globally, with a 20% FED that surpasses the average levy imposed on the food and beverage sector. Despite these challenges, the aerated beverage industry has stepped up as a key investor, contributing an estimated $200 million to bolster the country’s foreign exchange reserves during a time of Forex shortage. However, the recent tax measures have hindered the government’s revenue collections from this industry, leaving a negative impact.

    According to the Half-Year Report for 2022-2023 published by the State Bank Board of Directors, several sectors, including the beverage industry, have experienced negative growth. From the first half of the fiscal year 2022 to the same period in 2023, the beverage industry alone has contracted from 5% to a significant negative growth rate of -8.3%.

    The adverse economic consequences resulting from these measures have garnered attention from trade bodies such as the Pakistan Business Council, American Business Council, and various Chambers of Commerce. These associations recently presented their recommendations to Senator Saleem Mandviwalla, Chairman and Convener of the Senate Committee on Finance and Revenue. In a consultative session held on May 23, 2023, Coca-Cola, representing the industry, voiced concerns regarding the discriminatory nature of the tax applied in February 2023. The tax does not consider per-capita sugar consumption, resulting in an unfair burden on the beverage industry, which only accounts for approximately 6% of the country’s sugar consumption.

    The beverage sector, which operates transparently and in compliance with regulations, now urges the government to reassess its taxation policy. Specifically, the industry is calling for the immediate withdrawal of the 7% tax introduced in the mini-budget, as it was initially presented as a temporary, stop-gap measure. The industry maintains that a fair and broad-based tax regime would not only alleviate the burden on the beverage industry but also contribute to Pakistan’s economic stability and foster growth.

    The appeals made by Coca-Cola and other beverage manufacturers underscore the urgent need for a comprehensive review of the taxation policy affecting the industry. Striking a balance between tax obligations and recognizing the substantial investments made by these companies is vital to creating a conducive business environment and ensuring the long-term sustainability of Pakistan’s beverage sector.

  • India seeks death penalty for Kashmir separatist Yasin Malik

    India seeks death penalty for Kashmir separatist Yasin Malik

    India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) has moved Delhi High Court, seeking the death penalty for Jammu Kashmir Liberation (JKL) Front chief Chief Yasin Malik.

    The hearing is due on Monday.

    Following the news, Yasin’s wife Mushaal, said in a tweet, “Modi wants to hang my husband but I’m afraid Modi’s actually hanging his entire political career down the drain. Don’t think this Will ever silence us”.

    Yasin was arrested in 2018, months before New Delhi cancelled the held state’s special status of Kashmir on August 5, 2019.

    Last year, Malik pleaded guilty for funding the separatist movement. He was then sentenced to life imprisonment and is currently serving time in jail.

  • Parents arrested for starving 10-year-old son

    A couple in Georgia have been arrested for starving their ten-year-old son.

    Tyler and Krista Schindley were taken into custody and are being held in jail after a judge denied them bail.

    Their 10-year-old son was found searching for food in their neighbourhood, leading to his parents’ arrest.

    They boy weighed just 36 pounds.
    “We aren’t releasing any photos of this child for obvious reasons, but I will tell you, the photos are absolutely horrible, and anybody with a human heart who looks at them should be shaken to their core,” District Attorney Marie Broder said.

    She added: “It is my true belief that had he not gotten out of the home, this case would be a very different one.”

    According to an arrest affidavit, the couple purposefully denied the youngster food and allegedly kept him sequestered in his bedroom without access to lighting, toilet paper or human contact.

  • Karachi needs Shehbaz Speed: BBZ

    Karachi needs Shehbaz Speed: BBZ

    Foreign Minister (FM) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said that Karachi needs Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif’s speed.

    Shehbaz Speed was a term popularly used for projects completed in a short duration when Sharif was the Chief Minister (CM) of Punjab.

    While giving a speech at the groundbreaking ceremony of K-IV project, Bilawal addressed PM Shehbaz, stating, “We are looking at you, you should form your own team to solve these problems being faced by Sindh including Karachi.”

    He added that the prime minister has the support of the two major parties of Sindh and all partners of the coalition government want to solve the problems of the country together. “When we all continue to work together, all of Pakistan’s problems can be solved,” he said.

    Talking about Karachi, he said that if the government pays attention to the metropolis according to its potential, then not only the IMF could bid farewell, but the whole nation could also stand on its own feet.

    About the May 9 episode, he warned that if serious crimes like setting fire to Jinnah House Lahore, demolishing martyrs’ memorials and attacking military installations are neglected, then running this country will become not only difficult but impossible. He also asked that if the conspiracy of May 9 events had been hatched either in Bilawal House, Raiwand or Nine Zero, what would have been the reaction to it.

    Bilawal said that when the police went to comply with the court notice in March this year, Zaman Park had been turned into a battleground. He added that even during PTI’s long march, participants had arms, but the government did not take action, adding that the Prime Minister could have banned PTI on the basis of foreign funding case and Al-Qadir Trust case if he wanted. “But we didn’t want the impression of political vendetta and setting a bad precedent,” he said.