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  • PM Shehbaz invites Turkey to be a part of CPEC

    PM Shehbaz invites Turkey to be a part of CPEC

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has invited Turkey to be a part of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), suggesting that it would be a “wonderful joint cooperation”.

    Shehbaz Sharif reached Istanbul, Turkey on Friday for his two-day visit where at the airport he was received by the city’s deputy governor and other senior officials of the Turkish government.

    Inauguration ceremony for the third of four Milgem Corvette ships

    Following this, the Premier spoke at an inauguration ceremony for the third of four Milgem Corvette ships for the Pakistan Navy at the Istanbul Shipyard.

    The premier said the two countries under Erdogan’s leadership have a “great chance” to move forward in this field.

    Regarding the ship’s launch, PM Shehbaz said Turkey and Pakistan are “deeply engaged” in promoting their defense capabilities for peace to ward off aggression. He said the ship’s launch is for defense purposes instead of aggression.

    The prime minister called on Turkey to further collaborate on their defense production capacities to ensure that peace was restored in the world, adding that the globe was facing “great tensions”.

    Invite Turkey to join Pakistan, China in CPEC

    PM Shehbaz also addressed a joint press stakeout along with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and invited Turkey to join the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to bring about regional prosperity, alleviate poverty and empower people through better education and health facilities.

    “I would suggest that let this be a cooperation between China, Pakistan and Turkey. This would be a wonderful joint cooperation. This is how we can meet the challenges of today,” the prime minister remarked.

    He said that he would be “happy” to discuss the matter with the Chinese leadership if Turkey moved ahead with the idea of joining CPEC.

    Pitch to Turkish entrepreneurs

    Addressing a meeting of the Pakistan-Turkey business council in Istanbul on Saturday, he told the investors that his government was resolved to cut down “very expensive” imports of oil and petroleum products, on which $27 billion was spent last year. “We simply can’t afford this.”

    “It’s not just a paper, or a talk, or a feasibility,” he said about the project today. “I, along with my colleagues, I am committed to this philosophy that we shall implement this scheme with in letter and spirit with our own resources, with investment from Turkey, from China, from Saudia Arabia, from Qatar, from the UAE (United Arab Emirates), from the United States of America, from wherever.”

    He assured the investors that the Pakistan government would create a conducive, enabling and friendly environment for them to invest in the project.

    He also asked the Pakistan ambassador in Istanbul to facilitate the Turkish investors in coming to Pakistan.

    ‘Being in Turkey feels like being home’: PM Shehbaz

    Before reaching Turkey, the premier said that he is leaving at the invitation of my brother Erdogan and that being in Turkey feels like being home.

    He tweeted: “Our bilateral ties have entered a new era of strategic partnership under the leadership of President Erdogan. We are on course to unpack the full untapped potential of relationship.”

  • ‘Stop policing’: Sajal Aly, Adnan Siddiqui’s ‘war of words’ gets intense

    ‘Stop policing’: Sajal Aly, Adnan Siddiqui’s ‘war of words’ gets intense

    Actors Adnan Siddiqui and Sajal Ali indulged in a war of words with each other after Adnan expressed his issue with Shehzad Roy’s ‘remixed’ version of the National Anthem.

    On Thursday, the renowned musician Shehzad Roy performed a ‘remixed’ version of the National Anthem at the 21st Lux Style Awards.

    The anthem, which Roy produced to mark the 75th anniversary of Pakistan’s creation, features the lyrics as the original, but some of the more modern instruments used to create the melody were replaced with traditional ones.

    For Siddiqui, the performance was underwhelming to the point that he found the new version disrespectful.

    “It (National Anthem) is always played in the original rendition at matches, tournaments, and other state functions. At a famous award show, artists, however, fiddle with the National symbol and possibly get away with it too. Personally, I find ‘remix’ of the Tarana disrespectful.”

    Star-actor Sajal Ali disagreed with Adnan’s stance and shared her opinion on Instagram. She said the new version of the National Anthem was healing, and that it ‘reflected the values of our Constitution and remained true to the original anthem’.

    “As a Pakistani and an artist, I found the diversity of my country reflected in this rendition of the national anthem beautiful. I found it healing,” Ali said.

    The famous VJ and actor, Anoushey Ashraf, agreed with the Gul-e-Rana actor and said, “I absolutely agree with you. Many countries have different renditions of the original anthem as long as it’s done within the frame of decency and acceptability.”

    She added, “This is just adding more diversity to it to accommodate everyone, it doesn’t change its essence or the feel. Never will.”

    Adnan’s series of posts for Sajal

    Earlier today, the Merey Paas Tum Ho actor responded to the criticism and advised Ali to revisit the post as she had missed his point.

    Taking to his Instagram, he shared a series of stories stating that he was not ‘throwing shade on the “ethnicity” of the artists involved or on anyone’s patriotism.

    In one of the stories, he tagged the actor and reminded her how “there is a protocol to be followed for national symbols, the respect accorded to them much so that the first alphabets of national symbols are written in upper case.”

    “What is next because we are creative and should celebrate diversity? Hoist the National Flag upside down and design our own version of the emblem?” He added.

    The actors have worked together in a Bollywood movie Mom, alongside late Indian actor Sridevi.

  • ‘Stop glorifying abusers’: Netizens criticise ‘Lux Style Awards’ for awarding Feroze Khan as ‘Best Actor (Popular)’

    ‘Stop glorifying abusers’: Netizens criticise ‘Lux Style Awards’ for awarding Feroze Khan as ‘Best Actor (Popular)’

    Actor Feroze Khan won the ‘Best Actor (Popular)’ award at the 21st Lux Style Awards on Thursday. Although Feroze wasn’t present at the event, his elder sister Humaima Malick received the award on his behalf.

    This announcement has created a stir on social media as netizens were fumed with anger and disappointment.

    Earlier this week netizens expressed their disappointment with Khan’s nomination. On Wednesday, the organisers reacted to the backlash over Feroze’s nomination in the Best Actor category.

    The Lux Style Awards (LSAs) will not exclude Feroze Khan from their list of nominees despite widespread criticism, including from Oscar-winning director Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy.

    Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy Returns Her Lux Award After Feroze Khan's Nomination

    In a statement released on Wednesday night, the awards said, “The Lux Style Awards submissions are received from artists and channels as part of an open call for entries for consideration in the awards. All shortlisted nominations, for the Viewer’s Choice Category of the LSA 2022 are a result of exclusive viewer voting without any intervention by the Awards.

    “As part of our third party, the independent and transparent voting process, which is audited end to end by PricewaterhouseCoopers, LSA cannot participate in short-listing, vetting or excluding any submissions or nominations.”

  • Faisal Vawda disqualified for one term after apologising to SC

    Faisal Vawda disqualified for one term after apologising to SC

    The Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan on Friday barred former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Faisal Vawda from contesting in any poll before the next general elections.

    The apex court disqualified Vawda under Article 63(1)(c) of the Constitution, under which a legislator loses membership of parliament for one term only. As such, he will remain disqualified till 2023 and is eligible to contest the next general or Senate elections.

    Vawda apologised to the court unconditionally and accepted that he misstated about his dual nationality.

    In his apology letter after the hearing, the ex-federal minister admitted that he was not eligible for contesting in elections after admitting that he had submitted a fake affidavit.

    The Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP), Umar Ata Bandial, admonished Vawda for misleading everyone for the last three years. He asked the former lawmaker to apologise before the court and resign from his Senate seat.

    “If you apologise before the court with good intentions, then your disqualification will be limited to five years. In case you do not resign, then the court will proceed under Article 62(1)(f).”

    At this, the former PTI leader said that he apologises unconditionally and that he “did not” intend to submit a false affidavit. Vawda also said that he would accept any punishment that the court doles out.

    A day earlier, the court told Vawda to confess that he submitted a forged affidavit or else he will be disqualified for life.

    Vawda had challenged his disqualification in the Supreme Court after ECP barred him from holding public office in a dual nationality case.

    ECP disqualified Vawda as a Member of the National Assembly (MNA) and ordered him to withdraw the notification appointing him as senator for concealing his dual nationality.

    Supreme Court says Vawda will be disqualified for lifetime if he doesn’t confess to forgery

    The Supreme Court of Pakistan has on Thursday given former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and ex-senator, Faisal Vawda, an option that could soften his disqualification sentence.

    The top court heard the petition against Vawda’s lifetime disqualification from running or holding public office for concealment of his dual nationality.

    “If Vawda confesses to submitting a forged citizenship affidavit then he will be disqualified for one term; however, if the politician does not, then it will be for a lifetime,” the court said.

    A three-member bench headed by the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial heard the petition. The court also ordered Vawda to bring forth a certificate proving his renunciation of US citizenship in the next hearing.

    “Vawda should admit his mistake and be disqualified under 63(1) C, otherwise the court shall proceed with the case under 62(1) F,” the Chief Justice said before warning that there was enough material before the court to disqualify Vawda “for life”.

  • Imran Khan can now travel after plaster is removed from his leg

    Imran Khan can now travel after plaster is removed from his leg

    Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan, has been given the green signal to travel by his medical team ahead of the Rawalpindi rally scheduled for November 26.

    Khan’s physician, Dr Khalid Niazi, has said that the plaster on Khan’s fractured leg has been removed while the wounds on the upper part of Khan’s lower right limb have almost healed. However, the wounds on the lower part of the leg will take another week to heal completely.

    He added that Khan can now wash his leg and put weight on it as well. The doctors also allowed Khan to travel but with the caveat that he needs to be careful.

    The doctors told the media that they have removed one leg band from the former premier’s injured leg while leaving the other one loose.

    In an address, Imran Khan said he would go to Rawalpindi on November 26 and reveal a new plan for his Haqeeqi Long March movement.

    On November 3, Imran Khan survived an assassination attempt on day seven of PTI’s ‘Haqeeqi Long March’ as his container moved through Punjab’s Wazirabad.

  • Who will be the new COAS and CJCSC?

    Who will be the new COAS and CJCSC?

    Lieutenant General (Lt Gen) Asim Munir has been promoted to now become the new chief of the Pakistan Army by Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif. A summary in this regard has been sent to the President. This has been confirmed by Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb in a tweet.

    Who is Asim Munir?

    PM Shehbaz Sharif has picked Lieutenant General (Lt Gen) Asim Munir to succeed outgoing army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa. Lt-Gen Munir is the senior-most among the names given in the summary. He was promoted to the rank of a three-star general in September 2018.

    Lt- Gen Munir entered the service via the Officers Training School (OTS) programme in Mangla, and was commissioned into the Frontier Force Regiment. He has been a close aide of the incumbent COAS ever since he commanded troops in the Force Command Northern Areas as a brigadier under Gen Bajwa.

    He was later appointed Director General Military Intelligence in early 2017, and in October next year was made the ISI chief. However, he was replaced soon by Lt Gen Faiz Hameed within eight months, reportedly on the insistence of the then PM, Imran Khan. He was posted as Gujranwala Corps commander for two years, before being moved to the GHQ as Quartermaster General.

    Who is Sahir Shamshad Mirza?

    The following is a bio of the new Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff, the second important role in the armed forces. While General Mirza’s bio is impressive, what was striking is that he was raised an orphan and has managed to reach the top. When he joined the army, he wrote ‘8 Sindh’ in the ‘Next of Kin’ option. It was the name of his Unit.

    The premier has picked Lieutenant General (Lt-Gen) Sahir Shamshad Mirza to be the next Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC). Lt-Gen Mirza came to fame as the director general military operations during Gen Raheel Sharif’s tenure. In that role, he was part of Sharif’s core team at the General Headquarters, which supervised the military operation against the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and other militants in North Waziristan. Moreover, Lt-Gen Mirza was closely involved in the intra-Afghan talks involving Pakistan, China, Afghanistan and the United States.

    He was also a member of the committee on reforms for Gilgit-Baltistan. He was appointed chief of general staff, effectively making him the second-most powerful person in the army after the chief of army staff. In that role, he was closely engaged in crucial decision-making related to national security and foreign affairs. He also joined former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in strategic talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in 2021.

    In October 2021, he was posted as corps commander Rawalpindi to enable him to acquire operational experience and become eligible to be considered for top posts. The Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee is an inter-services forum that works for coordination among the three armed forces. The CJCSC also serves as the principal military adviser to the prime minister and the National Command Authority.

    General Asim Munir has been ‘retained’ under the Army Act?

    The Federal Government has retained Lieutenant General Asim Munir under the Army Act. Earlier, government decided to appoint Lt Gen Munir as new Chief of Army Staff (COAS).

    Gen Munir was scheduled to retire on November 27. He had submitted his retirement application to the defence ministry. However, the defence ministry did not accept the request for retirement and decided to retain Gen Munir.

    Meeting between Dr Alvi and Khan

    President of Pakistan, Dr Arif Alvi, has reached Zaman Park in Lahore to meet Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan to consult him over the two key military appointments that were announced today.

    In an interview earlier this week, when asked about the appointment, Imran Khan said that he was maintaining contact with the President on this matter.

    President House will give an official handout around 7pm on army chief appointment

    PTI’s Fawad Chaudhry has said that the President House will give an official handout between 6:30 and 7pm about Dr Arif Alvi’s meeting with his party Chairman Imran Khan.

    A few hours ago, Alvi reached Lahore to meet Khan and to consult him over the two key military appointments.

    Earlier, the federal government announced that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has appointed Lieutenant General Asim Munir as Pakistan’s next Chief of Army Staff and Lieutenant General Sahir Shamshad Mirza as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), with an official summary of both appointments sent to President Alvi for his signature.

    President Arif Alvi signs summary for the appointment of COAS and CJCSC: report

    President Dr Arif Alvi has signed the summary to appoint Lt Gen Asim Munir as the new army chief and Lt Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza to be the next Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC). It is being reported that President Alvi and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will be holding meetings with both new appointees shortly.

  • Team ‘Lux Style Awards’ reacts to severe backlash for nominating Feroze Khan

    Team ‘Lux Style Awards’ reacts to severe backlash for nominating Feroze Khan

    The Lux Style Awards (LSAs) will not be excluding Feroze Khan from their list of nominees despite widespread criticism, including from Oscar-winning director Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy.

    Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy Returns Her Lux Award After Feroze Khan's Nomination

    In a statement released on Wednesday night, the awards said, “The Lux Style Awards submissions are received from artists and channels as part of an open call for entries for consideration in the awards. All shortlisted nominations, for the Viewer’s Choice Category of the LSA 2022 are a result of exclusive viewer voting without any intervention by the Awards.

    “As part of our third party, the independent and transparent voting process, which is audited end to end by PricewaterhouseCoopers, LSA cannot participate in short-listing, vetting or excluding any submissions or nominations.”

    In a follow-up statement, the LSAs said they believe in “respecting the freedom and divert of audience views, and does not regulate or limit engagement (except in cases of content with obscene or inappropriate language) on our social media platforms.”

    Their move comes after Obaid Chinoy announced she was returning her Lux Lifetime Achievement Award, which she was awarded in 2012, in protest.

    “Lux is a beauty brand that sells soaps to women yet it has chosen to allow the nomination of a man known to have violently abused his ex-wife. Its parent company, Unilever, has a global campaign that says no to domestic violence and advocates against it. The company signed up to the United Nation’s SDGs, including SDG 5 on gender equality,” she wrote, noting that Unilever’s offices in Pakistan do not seem to share the same values.

    “In 2012, I was awarded a Lux lifetime achievement award, which I will be sending back to Unilever as the brand and I no longer share the same values. As a society, we must stand together against domestic violence and we must call out those who provide platforms to abusers, “she wrote.

    “Unilever and Lux have done a disservice to the awards and to society and it is not ok for them to allow the celebration of abusers.”

  • Hasnain Lehri finds love in Netflix star Loujain Adada, makes it Instagram official

    Hasnain Lehri finds love in Netflix star Loujain Adada, makes it Instagram official

    Supermodel Hasnain Lehri took to his Instagram handle to make his relationship Instagram official with Dubai-based actor Loujain Adada.

    In the comment section, Adada responded and said, “My heart! H fairytales do come true.”

    Celebrities also dropped by to congratulate the model, including Anoushey Ashraf, Fahad Mirza, and models Fatima Hasan and Mehreen Syed.

    Loujain, who has yet to share photos with Lehri on her own account, was last seen in Dubai Bling where she was seen on a blind date with Ebraheem Al Samadi and her Instagram showdown with Farhana Bodi.

    The reality TV star announced that she is currently looking for a partner. Her husband, the late Saudi billionaire businessman Walid Juffali, passed away in 2016. They had two kids together.

    It is pertinent to mention that he started dating fellow model Sabika Imam and the duo confirmed their relationship on October 11, 2018. The rumours of their engagement started making rounds after that. They parted ways after nearly a year.

  • Imran Khan says President Alvi will consult him on the appointment of new COAS

    Imran Khan says President Alvi will consult him on the appointment of new COAS

    Imran Khan, Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has claimed that President Arif Alvi will consult him on the appointment of the new Chief of Army Staff (COAS).

    The former Prime Minister made the explosive claim during an interview with ARY News. Stating that he was in contact with President Alvi, who is a member of PTI, Imran Khan said, “I am in contact with the President over the summary related to a key appointment”, adding that being the party chairman, Alvi would consult him.

    “I have no issues with whoever is made the army chief but I want that the decision should be taken on merit,” he stressed.

    When asked whether the President would delay the appointment of the new Army Chief, the PTI head said, “President Alvi and we have decided to play within constitutional boundaries.”

    He said that the people who are responsible for the appointment of this top army post are corrupt and he has reservations about their choice.

    Appearing on Geo News programme “Capital Talk” on November 21, when senior journalist Hamid Mir asked Defence Minister Khawaja Asif that why Imran Khan chose November 26 as the date for his long march, the minister stated that Khan might be considering the option that the President would not approve PM Shehbaz’s recommendation for the COAS.

    Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) confirmed that it has finally received the summary from the Ministry of Defence with a list of names of the candidates for the new COAS and the chairman joint chief of staff committee (CJCSC).

    The incumbent COAS General Bajwa is set to retire on November 29 after six years in office. He was appointed in 2016 by then-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and later granted an additional three-year extension in 2019 by former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

  • ‘Siyasat mein mudakhlat ghair aaini hai’: General Bajwa

    ‘Siyasat mein mudakhlat ghair aaini hai’: General Bajwa

    In his last address as Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Qamar Javed Bajwa paid tribute to the martyrs of the country before launching into a speech laden with admissions and omissions.

    Speaking at the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi, the outgoing army chief said, “Today, on the Defence and Martyrs Day, I am giving an address as the army chief for the last time.” Before beginning his address, he apologised for the delay in the Defence and Martyrs’ day ceremony due to devastating floods across the country.

    He began by paying tribute to those who lost their lives by saying: “Firstly, I would like to pay tribute to the martyrs who are the pride of Pakistan while acknowledging the patience of their bereaved families.” He also reassured them that the army will continue to fulfill their financial needs.

    During his address, he also stressed that the basic job of the armed forces is to protect the geographical boundaries of the countries.

    However, in the second part of the speech, COAS Bajwa spoke about political matters.

    Tacitly admitting to a longstanding charge, the COAS said that the Pakistan army is “often subjected to criticism” and the reason was the army’s involvement in politics.

    Reiterating what Director General ISI General Nadeem Anjum had said before, General Bajwa insisted once again that the army will not interfere in politics.

    “Pichlay saal February mein faisla kiya kai ab siyasat mein mudakhalat nahin hogi. Fauj ki siyasat mein mudakhlat ghair aaini hai,” he said. (Last year in February, we decided not to interfere in politics. Army’s interference in politics is unconstitutional.)

    “I assure you we are strictly adamant on this and will remain so,” he said.

    In what seemed like a criticism of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, General Bajwa said that a false narrative was built and a campaign was started against the Pakistan army.

    ‘Kya ap ko lagta hai ke mulk mei foriegn conspiracy ho aur hum chup rahy’: General Bajwa

    Talking about Imran Khan’s claims of his government being ousted because of US interference, General Bajwa asked, “Was it possible for the army to remain silent if there was a foreign conspiracy?”

    “Had this been the case, it would have been the most heinous sin on our end,” he emphasised, pointing out that the army could’ve replied but didn’t for the sake of Pakistan.

    ‘Inappropriate and undignified language was used against us’: General Bajwa

    Without naming Khan, who has at various times termed the institution “neutral”, “janwar”, “Mir Sadiq”, and “Mir Jafar”, the army chief said that instead of welcoming the military’s decision to stay away from politics, “many sectors used very inappropriate and undignified language while making the army the target of severe criticism. To criticise the army is the right of political parties and the people, but they should select their language carefully,” he added.

    ‘Calling governments’ selected and imported is wrong’: General Bajwa

    Gen Bajwa also said that political parties started criticising the army after the 2018 general elections when Khan’s government was labelled as “selected” and following the successful vote of no confidence this year, the incumbent administration is being labelled as “imported”.

    “We need to reject this behaviour,” he stressed while adding that every party will have to develop the strength to accept its victory as well as defeat.

    He said that the next government which will be formed after elections should be known as elected.

    ‘Political parties should reflect on their behaviour’: COAS

    Emphasizing on reconciliation, General Bajwa said that the army had initiated its process of “catharsis” and expected that political parties would follow suit as well and reflect on their behaviour. “This is the reality, mistakes have been made by every institution, including political parties and civil society. The army has started its catharsis, and I hope political parties will also reflect on their behaviour,” he said.

    Calling the 1971 debacle that ended with the country being split into two, a “political failure” the COAS said that the creation of Bangladesh was not a military failure.

    The COAS said that lessons should be learned from such mistakes so the nation could move forward.

    In the last part of his address, he hoped that political stakeholders would set aside their egos, learn from past mistakes, move forward and take Pakistan out of this crisis. He stressed the need for the nation to shed intolerance and adopt a “true democratic culture”.

    Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) that it has finally received the summary from the Ministry of Defence with a list of names of the candidates for the new COAS and the chairman joint chief of staff committee (CJCSC).

    General Bajwa is set to retire on November 29 after six years in office. He was appointed in 2016 by then-PM Nawaz Sharif and later granted an additional three-year extension in 2019 by former PM Imran Khan.