The National Security Council (NSC) is set to hold a meeting on Friday (tomorrow) as terrorist activities in Pakistan continue to rise.
The council will discuss a strategy to combat the new wave of terrorism in the country along with reviewing the situation at the Pak-Afghan border.
The country’s federal ministers, military brass, and representatives from the security apparatus will attend the meeting, chaired by the head of government—Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif.
Pakistan is facing a resurgence of terrorism since the militant Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) called off its ceasefire with the government in late November.
Currently, security is on high alert in Islamabad after a foiled suicide bomber blew himself up while threats have also hit Karachi, Hyderabad, and Sukkur.
A former aide to Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif was arrested over his connection with the premier’s audio leaks, released in September and October, a media report has said.
On their YouTube show Talk Shock, veteran journalists Azaz Syed and Umar Cheema have revealed that ADC to PM Shehbaz, identified as Major Arsalan, had recorded and leaked the audio clips. Afterward, he was taken into detention by Director-General of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) General Nadeem Anjum on the directives of former army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa.
According to Azaz, Major Arsalan had earlier served as an ADC to former Corps Commander Bahawalpur Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed, and was allegedly transferring the Premier’s recorded conversations to Bahawalpur.
The major himself confessed to committing the crime, Azaz Syed said on the programme. He said that whenever there was an important meeting, Major Arsalan used to have a secret phone specifically for recording the conversation or calls.
Shehbaz Sharif had been told about the development.
It is pertinent to mention that since the ouster of former PM Imran Khan, several audio leaks came out to the public adding more drama to the country’s politics.
Earlier, Federal Minister for Interior, Rana Sanaullah claimed that the matter of the premier’s audio leaks is not related to an agency, but a few people, who had been identified. He added that these people belong to the staff of the PM House.
In one of the audio leaks, PM Shehbaz and an unidentified person talked about a power plant to be imported from India for PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz’s son-in-law. In the other audio leak, the unknown person is allegedly telling the premier that Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is asking for their “shares” for the Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) as well.
After making her debut with the chart-topping global hit Pasoori, Shae Gill dropped a musical collaboration with songwriter-singer duo Hassan and Roshaan from Lahore.
Titled Sukoon, it has become a hit amongst music fans transnationally. While some netizens had issues with the subtle hints of queerness in the video, the majority of users wrote about how peaceful and melancholic vibes the song gives. A few users even compared Gill’s voice to the legendary Nazia Hassan after listening to the song.
Even the male vocals by Hassan and Roshaan have garnered immense praise. The duo expressed their gratitude after the song was used by two Bollywood actors, Ayushmann Khurrana and Rohit Saraf in their respective Instagram posts.
The talented duo stated on their joint Instagram handle, “What is happening? We seriously didn’t expect all this love and support.”
Sukoon’s audio was originally out in October, but the music video was released in December. Hassan and Roshan took to Instagram to share the clip and wrote, “When the director heard the song, he said the song gave him a sense of peace coupled with melancholy. Like a goldfish in a fishbowl, zindagi haseen bhi hay, tanha bhi hay [life is also beautiful, life is also lonely). A goldfish in a bowl, perhaps the prettiest, loneliest thing one could visualize.”
Star athlete Haris Rauf gave a tongue-in-cheek reply to a female fan’s question about his ‘apology gesture’ during the wedding shoot with his wife Muzna Masood Malik.
While shooting for his post-Nikkah photoshoot, Rauf felt tired of constant posing and funnily apologised to his ladylove for asking her to stop.
On being asked about the same, Haris stated that he didn’t apologise because he made any mistake, rather he was recorded the wrong way.
On Monday, Rauf clarified just a few days after his wedding that his wife is not on any social media platform. He also advised fans to steer clear of “scams”.
“Hello everyone, I just want to make it clear that my wife, Muzna Masood Malik, is not on any social media platforms,” the pacer wrote on Twitter.
She does not have an official account. Please be cautious of any scams,” Rauf added as he thanked people for their prayers and good wishes for his wedding.
Hello everyone, I just want to make it clear that my wife, Muzna Masood Malik, is not on any social media platforms. She does not have an official account. Please be cautious of any scams. Thank you so much for all of your prayers and good wishes.
Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has formed a committee that will work on reducing electricity consumption in government offices by 30 per cent.
The Prime Minister gave the directives while chairing a meeting of the federal cabinet where a “Proposed Energy Saving Plan” presented by the Power Division was also under discussion. The meeting was briefed on consultations held with stakeholders about energy saving.
Shehbaz Sharif said that the consultation process with all the stakeholders including the provincial governments should be completed soon.
Conversion of federal government buildings to solar energy
Last week, the Premier directed relevant authorities to convert federal government buildings to solar energy at the earliest.
He issued special instructions for formulating a comprehensive strategy to effectively resolve the issues faced in the early completion of the solar energy projects.
The PM said the use of solar energy in electricity production could effectively resolve many fiscal issues including the energy crisis in the country and rising prices of electricity.
Actor and morning show host Nida Yasir recently appeared on The Talk Talk Show where she marked the leading ladies of Pakistan out of ten for their acting skills.
The host Hassan Chaudhry first asked her about Sarah Khan, and Nida gave her 7.5 marks for her acting chops. She then marked 8.5 to Ayeza Khan, 9.5 to Maya Ali, 7.5 to Minal Khan, and 7.5 to Mawra Hocane.
The Nadaaniyaan diva stated that there isa scope for improvement in their performances.
Nida also addressed other controversies surrounding her. She has long been under scrutiny for the type of guests she invites on her morning show, Good Morning Pakistan. From the likes of Dananeer Mobeen, Ayesha Mano to Ahmed Shah, Nida has invited them all to her popular show.
However, throughout the years, many spectators have also criticised the TV host for not highlighting people with more academic achievements, and only catering to people who go viral online for ‘foolish theatrics’. Taking her chance, the famous host has finally set the record straight and reminded her audience about the many times she has provided limelight to such guests on her show.
“I want to respond to this criticism by recalling the time I invited Ayesha, the girl who became viral on TikTok for her dance to my show. Many people started asking me why I didn’t invite a specific guest who has won academic awards. The truth is, you cannot even fathom how many shows I conduct that feature academic champs, but they never get high ratings,” said the Hum Tum actor.
She then went on to highlight how Mobeen and Zara Naeem were invited on the same day together. “Once I even invited 7-8 people on one show, and they all possessed so many talented skills, but the episode went unnoticed. I also invited Zara and Dananeer together, still, people only remember the latter one better. How does the audience not recall Zara? This is not my fault, but actually of the people who want to see these guests on my show.”
Yasir elaborated her stance by speaking about the repetitive narratives used in dramas. She noted, “If our Pakistani dramas are still stuck on producing family politics storylines, it’s because of the demand too. The channels will obviously try to create more dramas that give them more profitable responses.”
Tired of the ongoing fuss, the Nadaaniyaan actor then put forth an interesting question for her critics. She asked, “When I do invite educated people to my show, why aren’t people watching them?”
She also further explained how fans request her to feature guests on her show. “I also would like to add that people even tag me in photos now to show who they want to see on my show. When I woke up one morning, I saw a picture online of the ‘Lahore Da Pawa – Akhtar Lawa’ man doctored beside me, and that’s how I learned about the viral meme circulating on the internet. I also once got a call from a man who married a woman much younger than his age asking me to invite him as a guest because he’s gone viral. Like, should I just invite you because of your marriage?”
Yasir then concluded the conversation by highlighting how viewers don’t give her the complete credit she truly deserves. “People just watch the viral clips of my show and assume that’s the only type of guests I invite, but that’s really not the case. I run a morning show that takes place every day, so I keep a proper balance of my guest list,” expressed the Yeh Zindagi Hai actor.
Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain’s son Chaudhry Shafay Hussain has said that his father’s cousin— Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Pervaiz Elahi—betrayed the family by backing out of an agreement made with the current ruling coalition at the last minute.
In an interview with ARY News, Chaudhry Shafay recalled the entire incident, recalling that Elahi asked Chaudhry Shujaat to convince Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) to give Elahi the Chief Minister’s seat. However, at the last minute, he switched over to Imran Khan.
When asked what reason did Elahi give for backing out of the deal, Shafay said that he said former army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa asked him to join hands with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). However, Shafay Hussain said Elahi should have told the party chief about the telephone call from Bajwa.
According to Shafay, former president Asif Ali Zardari said he convinced PDM leadership including Nawaz Sharif to grant Elahi the top seat after clearing many obstacles.
Shafay also addressed Moonis Elahi’s “sofware update” statement about Chaudhry Shujaat, terming it ‘inappropriate’. “One should not say something of this sort about the one who taught you politics,” he opined.
Shafay accused Moonis of playing his own politic. Political families work together and Moonis doesn’t want that, Shafay said about his cousin.
He also hinted at expelling some Members of the Provincial Assembly (MPAs) from the party.
News anchor Meher Bokhari in her programme ‘Program Hum Meher Bokhari Kay Sath’ on Hum News has claimed that a crucial meeting has taken place where plans of installing a long caretaker government in Pakistan have been discussed.
She said that considering the worsening economic conditions in the country, the caretaker government can be in place for six months or even two years, emphasising that the situation has slipped out of politicians’ hands.
During her show, she pointed out that the incumbent government has failed to steer the country out of the economic crisis, despite making promises to do so. Moreover, she said that since the takeover of the coalition government, the dollar value rose exponentially, plunging the country into economic disaster.
She highlighted Pakistan’s failure to get the next International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) tranche and the reluctance of friendly countries to help Pakistan.
Reacting to the journalist’s claims, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leader Fawad Chaudhry termed it a “stupidity”, stressing that the “country’s crisis is more political than economic”.
In a tweet, he said that these are “schemes” to keep Imran Khan out of politics but are not in Pakistan’s favour. Terming general elections as the only solution to the country’s problems, he added that PTI will resist the move of forming a technocrat government.
حکومت کو ہٹا کرطویل عرصے کی ٹیکنو کریٹ حکومت بنانا ایک اورانتہائ احمقانہ سوچ ہے،ملک کا بحران معاشی سے کہیں زیادہ سیاسی ہے صرف عمران خان کو روکنے کیلئے اس طرح کی اسکیمیں بنانا ملک کے مفاد کوپس پشت ڈالنے کے مترادف ہے، واحد حل الیکشن ہے ہم اس قسم کی ٹیکنو کریٹ حکومت کی مزآحمت کرینگے https://t.co/3YuOQBUtju
However, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday assured the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) that the country will not default but admitted that the economy is in a “tight position”.
“It’s been three months since I took charge. We hear every day that we will default. How will there be a default? There is no chance that Pakistan will default,” the finance minister said.
It should be noted that the financial situation in the country is perilous with inflation at the highest levels in recent years. A day earlier, the price of gold rose by Rs4,500 to a fresh all-time high of Rs182,700 per tola. The price of gold has increased by more than Rs20,000 per tola since the beginning of December.
Bollywood actor Salman Khan, who turned 57 years old on Tuesday, had once in an old interview, confessed that he wants children but ‘not the mother’.
Salman loves kids and it clearly shows when he pampers his sister Arpita Khan and her husband Aayush Sharma’s children Ayat and Ahil.
In fact, the Bajrangi Bhaijaan actor has also been spotted interacting with the little ones quite a few times.
While talking to Mumbai Mirror in the year 2019, Salman reacted to the comment that said he loved children. While smiling, he said, “I want children, but with children comes the mother. I don’t want the mother, but they need one. But I have a whole village to take care of them. Maybe I can work out a win-win situation for everyone.”
Meanwhile, last night, Salman threw a party on the occasion of his 57th birthday. The actor was spotted several times by the paps greeting his guests, seeing them off as well as cutting the cake and celebrating.
In fact, interestingly, Salman was also seen exchanging warm hugs with Shah Rukh Khan. Fans went crazy after the video surfaced on social media.
On the work front, Salman completed the shooting schedule for his upcoming Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan. Helmed by Farhad Samji, it also stars Pooja Hegde and Venkatesh Daggubati in key roles.
Shehnaaz Gill, Palak Tiwari, and Vijender Singh will also feature in the film. It is set to release on Eid 2023. Salman will also be seen in Tiger 3, also starring Katrina Kaif.
The action-packed movie was earlier slated to hit the theatres on April 23, 2023, but will now be released on Diwali next year.
Several members of the Provincial Assembly (MPAs) of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) have approached the Opposition in Punjab Assembly ahead of the no-confidence session against Chief Minister (CM) Pervaiz Elahi, reports ARY News.
According to the news outlet, a total of 11 lawmakers contacted the Opposition and they reportedly planned to skip CM Elahi’s trust vote session.
Earlier, senior Vice President of PTI, Fawad Chaudhry, announced that Elahi will get a vote of confidence from the provincial assembly before January 11.
Punjab Assembly Speaker Sibtain Khan has already summoned a session of the assembly on Jan 11.
The magic number required to show a majority in the assembly is 186. However, it has been claimed by PTI that the coalition government in Punjab has the support of 187 lawmakers.
If the news is to be believed, the joint alliance of Punjab will have the support of 176 members on the day of no-confidence session.
© salmankhan_instagram
© salmankhan_instagram