Tag: trending

  • Wake up State, yeh hum sub ka masla hai

    Data has revealed that 2,211 children were sexually abused in Pakistan in 2022 from January to June. This horrifying number comes to approximately 12 children who are abused each day according to Sahil, an NGO that works against child sexual abuse. At least 1,207 girls and 1,004 boys were reported to be victims of sexual abuse according to the report.

    Earlier this week, a 10-year-old boy was allegedly raped by the Imam of a mosque in Lahore. As per media reports, the child had gone to offer Fajr prayers in the mosque where the accused, Abbas, took him to the basement and allegedly raped him. Then there was a case where a 16-year-old girl, a grade 9 student, was working as a translator for a Chinese national on a monthly pay of Rs15,000 since May 2021. She was raped by a man for months, who threatened her with dire consequences if she resisted.

    Statistics reveal how bad and ugly it is but what is being done? Answer: nothing. These are just the official numbers or cases that have been reported. There is a growing concern that most cases of rape, sexual abuse, and other such forms of violent abuse against children and young girls are not reported due to societal taboos. Despite laws in place that address these issues, not many victims have found justice. And the way our society reacts to such crimes, by blaming the survivors makes it all the more difficult for people to come forward and report these crimes. With each passing day, a child is raped, a minor girl somewhere in Pakistan is forced to get married, and somewhere someone gets abducted. The silence of the state on matters that need the most attention is rather appalling. For how long will people keep suffering? What are our policymakers doing to make the lives of people in Pakistan better? With all the abuse, harassment, sexual assault, domestic violence, and rapes being reported, where are we headed as a society? Has humanity died completely? Imagine the pain of the children and the families who have been victims and survivors of these horrific crimes. This needs to stop and the state needs to wake up from its slumber.

    For our part, The Current has been following up on rape cases for almost two years since the Motorway rape incident which happened in October 2020. As of yet, a total of 1584 cases have been recorded from what we found in news outlets. The number is likely way more than this since these are only the ones we found in the news.

    The state also needs to raise more awareness about such crimes. We need to teach our children from a very young age about these sensitive issues. We cannot hide away from these crimes that take place on a regular basis just because our society casts aspersions. If there is justice for the survivors, then more people will find the courage to report these crimes. We cannot let our children down.

  • Today marks one year since Afghan girls were banned from attending school

    Today marks one year since Afghan girls were banned from attending school

    United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres took to Twitter to urge Taliban authorities in Afghanistan to revoke the ban on girls’ education that was implemented a year ago.

    He said, “Sunday marks one year since girls were banned from attending high school in Afghanistan. A year of lost knowledge and opportunity that they will never get back. Girls belong in school. The Taliban must let them back in.”

    “It is profoundly damaging to a generation of girls and to the future of Afghanistan itself”, said Markus Potzel, the acting head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). The UN has called the ban ‘tragic and shameful.

    According to UNAMA, more than a million teenage girls have been deprived of education across the county.

    Earlier this month, dozens of girls protested in an eastern Afghan city due to the closure of schools for girls.

    When the Taliban seized power in August last year, they did reopen high schools for boys on September 18 but banned secondary school girls from attending classes.

    Education Minister Noorullah Munir termed this act a “cultural issue”. He said that many rural people do not want their teenage daughters to attend school.

    Earlier this year, the Taliban said that schools for girls would be opened after March 21 with the caveat that girls and boys must be completely segregated in schools

    However, schools were opened for a small period of time and again were shut down

    At the time, the Ministry of Education said that the schools would be closed until a plan was drawn up in accordance with Islamic law and Afghan culture.

    Despite the fact that the international community has on multiple occasions made the education of girls a key demand for any future recognition of the Taliban administration, the group has barred Afghan girls and women with certain restrictions including covering themselves from head to toe and not to travelling alone.

  • Traffic warden arrested for secretly making TikToks of women

    Traffic warden arrested for secretly making TikToks of women

    A traffic warden has been arrested in Lahore for filming TikTok videos of females on roads during his duty hours.

    The traffic warden used to make videos of female passengers without their consent. The arrested police officer also used to show his face in the videos.

    In view of the inquiry report, departmental action will be taken against the traffic warden.

  • ‘Workers should await a final call in September’: Fawad Chaudhry

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry has said that party organisations across the country have been ordered to come out and protest against rising inflation.

    Chaudhry said, “If the government doesn’t move towards elections, then wait for a final call in these two weeks as consultation continues. We think workers should await a final call in September.”

    “General elections will take place, whether the government wants them or not. The ultimate arbiter is the nation and until it doesn’t get the right to make political decisions, the PTI won’t step back from its struggle,” he warned.

    Chaudhry further said that any technocrat or interim government had no room in the Constitution and such a setup would in effect be considered a martial law.

    “Everything that has to happen will happen this month,” said Chaudhry.

    Two days prior to Chaudhry’s statement, PTI Chairman Imran Khan, in an address to the nation once again demanded early elections, warning that PTI’s patience was wearing thin.

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    “If we want to save the country from discord and chaos, free and fair elections need to be announced immediately,” he said.

    “Our patience won’t last long if you continue like this, we will have to give a call to the nation,” said Khan, addressing the government.

    “If there is no political stability, the economy won’t stabilise. So I want to tell my people today that we need to have elections quickly to save Pakistan from this quagmire,” the former Prime Minister insisted, adding that it was his fear that there will be no economic progress without political stability.

  • Shehbaz, Nawaz to meet for three hours in London

    Shehbaz, Nawaz to meet for three hours in London

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif is set to leave for a two-day visit to the United Kingdom (UK) on Sunday, September 18, during which he will represent Pakistan at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II and meet Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif.

    The premier is scheduled to have a three-hour-long meeting with his elder brother, Nawaz Sharif, in London.

    According to news reports, PM Shehbaz will return to Pakistan on Monday soon after attending the state funeral for the late Queen — who died at the age of 96 on September 8 at her Balmoral Castle residence.

    It is pertinent to mention here that senior analyst Suhail Warraich had recsbtly revealed that Nawaz Sharif is not satisfied with the performance of his brother Shehbaz Sharif or Finance Minister Miftah Ismail. Warraich said Nawaz wants Shehbaz to review his policies.

    “Nawaz had already said that they should not take over the government and move towards elections. It seems like he [Nawaz Sharif] has made up his mind that he wants economic policies reviewed, and he would want Ishaq Dar to manage it. He [Nawaz Sharif] does not trust Miftah Sahib,” said Warraich on Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’.

  • ‘Jimmy Jimmy Aja Aja’, other desi songs played at Shangai Cooperation Organisation

    ‘Jimmy Jimmy Aja Aja’, other desi songs played at Shangai Cooperation Organisation

    Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) came to an end on Friday in Samarkand, Uzbekistan where at one point, eight world leaders attended the summit to the sounds of 80s Bollywood songs.

    A video was posted by journalist Sidhant Sibal on Thursday in which Indian songs “Jimmy Jimmy Aja Aja” and “I’m a disco dancer” were being played to welcome the SCO delegates.

    This year’s summit was hosted by Uzbekistan from September 15-16. Many historic meetings took place at the SCO including the one between Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif and Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time. Other memorable moments included PM Shehbaz interacting with officials in Tajiki, before starting a formal meeting with the country’s president.

    A highly anticipated meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Putin also took place. Xi called Putin his “old friend”, but the mutually endorsing speeches of the two authoritarian heavyweights were muted.

    As expected, Indian PM Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Shehbaz Sharif did not have a one-on-one meeting as relations between the rival neighbors remained cold.

  • PM Shehbaz likely to meet US President Biden this month

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif is scheduled to visit the United States of America (USA) this month from September 19- 24 to attend the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

    During this visit, he may have a meeting with US President Joe Biden. Both PM Shehbaz and Foreign Minister (FM) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari will attend the dinner reception hosted by President Biden for heads of state and government of countries attending the General Assembly.

    Apart from this, PM will meet the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the President of the World Bank (WB) in New York. He will also address the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on September 23.

    It is pertinent to mention that this year’s UNGA session is significant because this will be the first in-person summit of world leaders since 2019. For the last two years, sessions were held virtually due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

    Since US President Biden’s election, relations between Pakistan and the US have cooled down. Former PM Imran Khan also has repeatedly accused the US of outsing him from power, a charge denied repeatedly by US officials and Pakistan’s establishment.

  • How to apply for the UK Commonwealth Scholarship

    How to apply for the UK Commonwealth Scholarship

    Commonwealth Scholarships are given to talented individuals with the potential to make a positive impact on the global stage.

    As part of the UK’s ongoing commitment to the Commonwealth, each year around 800 students are given the chance to undertake postgraduate degrees at UK universities.

    Eligibility criteria for Pakistani Students:
    • Be a Pakistani/AJ&K national and permanent resident of Pakistan/AJ&K. Dual nationals are not eligible.
    • For Master’s scholarship, an applicant must hold a first-class degree in a relevant postgraduate qualification (16 years Bachelors/master’s degree) in the relevant field of study by closing date of HEC application portal.
    • For a PhD scholarship, an applicant must hold a first-class degree in relevant postgraduate qualification (17/18 years Masters/MS/MPhil degree) in the relevant field of study by closing date of HEC application portal.
    • Candidate must not have Second/Third division in the terminal/last degree. Result awaiting candidates are also not eligible to apply.
    • All applicants are required to provide HAT test scores. Applicant must have obtained a minimum score of 60 out of 100 on the HAT test. Those applicants who have taken HAT test on or after January 01, 2022, may upload the test result on the HEC portal for consideration.​
    • ​Without providing minimum HAT test score (60 out of 100), applications will not be considered for further process. Interested applicants who are yet to take HAT test, may register for the same by visiting https://etc.hec.gov.pk/. ETC is accepting applications for HAT test till October 11, 2022​.

    CSC Eligibility Criteria in addition to HEC criteria:

    To apply for these scholarships, you must:

    • Be permanently resident in an eligible Commonwealth country
    • Be available to start your academic studies in the UK by the start of the UK academic year in September 2023
    • The CSC would not normally fund a second UK Master’s degree. If you are applying for a second UK Master’s degree, you will need to provide justification as to why you wish to undertake this study
    • Be unable to afford to study in the UK without this scholarship
    • Provide full transcripts detailing all your higher education qualifications including to-date transcripts for any qualifications you are currently studying (with certified translations if not in English) – uploaded to the online application system
    • Provide references from at least two individuals.

    For PhD candidates only:

    • NOT be registered for a PhD, or an MPhil leading to a PhD, at a UK university or in your home country before September/October 2023
    • Provide a supporting statement from a proposed supervisor in the UK from at least one of the institutions named on your application form.

    Kindly visit below mentioned links for further details on eligibility criteria & terms of award:

  • Firdous Jamal passes derogatory comments about Humayun Saeed and Faysal Qureshi

    Firdous Jamal passes derogatory comments about Humayun Saeed and Faysal Qureshi

    Senior actor Firdous Jamal recently appeared on Ahmad Ali Butt’s chat show, Super Over. Firdous was asked to mark the acting skills of present-day superstars such as Humayun Saeed, Faysal Qureshi, Nauman Ijaaz, and Aijaz Aslam.

    The Pyaray Afzal star marked Faysal Qureshi’s acting skills as four out of ten.

    Faysal Quraishi comes down hard on trolls
    Aijaz Aslam pens an emotional note about suicide awareness and prevention

    Jamal gave the same score to Aijaz Aslam.

    Nauman Ijaz Openly Refuses To Attend Any Award Ceremony - VeryFilmi

    He also mentioned that Naumaan is a five or six on ten.

    As for the Mere Paas Tum Ho star, “Humayun Saeed has no acting skills, no voice, no character, no body language,” he said. “There are still people being fooled by the idea that he is doing good acting.”

    The veteran actor added, “I don’t say anything to anybody on the basis of personal grudges, I talk on the technical grounds, I don’t watch their work as a normal viewer because I am an artist.”

    Last year, Jamal slammed Imran Ashraf performance as Bhola from Ranjha Ranjha Kardi, Firdous Jamal responded, “Imran’s performance wasn’t a spontaneous one. In fact, it was pretension. He was acting and not behaving. Such roles have been performed in the past as well but unfortunately, you haven’t seen those precious acts. I don’t want to criticize any individual here, but sadly, acting is becoming a fashion these days.”

  • PM Shehbaz uses international platform to plead for action against climate change

    PM Shehbaz uses international platform to plead for action against climate change

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif talked about the ongoing climate change devastation that has been caused by unprecedented floods across Pakistan at Shangai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

    In his speech, the premier stressed that his country’s contribution to the global carbon commission is only 1 per cent. “Our carbon emission is less than one per cent. Yet nature had this in store for us,” Shehbaz Sharif said.

    Moreover, he urged the world to formulate a well-thought-out and sustainable plan to prevent devastating episodes of climate change destruction in the future. “We are going to stand on our own feet but will this be the last time a country is going to fall victim to this devastation”, he asked, as he appealed to the SCO to “build a wall” against the menace of climate change.

    He concluded his speech by reaffirming Pakistan’s “strong and unwavering commitment” to advancing the objectives of the SCO.

    At the international forum, the premier urged the leaders not to ignore Afghanistan at this time.

    He stated that the world would have to work together to support all “good initiatives” in Afghanistan. “It will be a big mistake if we ignore Afghanistan this time around”, he warned.

    Moreover, PM Shehbaz asked the international community to support efforts to build a sustainable Afghan economy. “Unfreezing Afghanistan’s financial assets remains a crucial need in this regard”, he stressed.

    PM Shehbaz meets Chinese President Xi Jinping

    On Friday, PM Shehbaz met Chinese President Xi Jinping at SCO in Uzbekistan.

    In an official statement, the Chinese foreign ministry said that during the meeting, Xi pointed out that China and Pakistan are close neighbours “linked by mountains and rivers and with a shared future”.

    The two countries have all along stood with each other through thick and thin. No matter how the international situation evolves, China and Pakistan are always each other’s trustworthy strategic partners, the statement added.

    President Xi stressed that the two sides must continue to firmly support each other, foster stronger synergy between their development strategies, and harness the role of the Joint Cooperation Committee of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to ensure smooth construction and operation of major projects.

    On Thursday, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that PM Shehbaz had “very successful” talks with Russian President Putin and Chinese President Xi.

    “Both of them have officially invited Shehbaz Sharif to visit their countries. The prime minister has accepted both invitations. There will be a visit to China in November 2022,” the minister confirmed in a tweet.

    Earlier, it was reported that PM Shehbaz would meet Xi Jinping, the Chinese President. However, no plans have been announced of a meeting between the Pakistani Prime Minister and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, who is also attending the SCO.

    Shehbaz Sharif was also scheduled to meet Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev later in the day.

    On Thursday, the prime minister met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iran’s Ebrahim Raisi. He also met with the president of Tajikistan and Kagystan.

    Shehbaz Sharif declared his meetings with the world leaders on Thursday as “productive”.

    “It was a long but productive day in Samarkand. In my meetings with leaders of friendly countries, we agreed on enhancing trade and investment. I explained the flood ravages due to climate change. Food and energy shortages present a real challenge to our shared development agenda,” he tweeted.

    During the meeting with Putin, the Russian president said that pipeline gas supplies to Pakistan are possible, and that part of the necessary infrastructure is already in place.

    After the meeting with Putin, the premier also held a bilateral meeting with Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon.

    The two leaders held wide-ranging talks covering all aspects of mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation, including regional and international issues.

    Shehbaz Sharif thanked Tajikistan for its support to flood affectees in Pakistan and shared details of the devastation caused by the massive floods.

    Since becoming a full member of SCO in 2017, Pakistan has been actively contributing and participating in the activities of the organisation.