Tag: trending

  • Sunny Deol to attend Kartarpur opening ceremony

    Sunny Deol to attend Kartarpur opening ceremony

    Indian actor and politician Sunny Deol has announced that he will attend the Kartarpur opening ceremony on November 9.

    As per reports, Chief Minister of India’s Punjab Captain Amarinder Singh confirmed the arrival of the actor.

    The actor turned politician is a BJP lawmaker from India’s Gurdaspur district.

     “If I won’t go who will? I will go, it is my area and my home,” the BJP MP was quoted as saying by Indian news agency ANI.

    Read More: Navjot Singh Sidhu to join for Kartarpur opening ceremony

    Deol is not the only famous Indian who will be joining the ceremony. Former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh and Congress lawmaker Navjot Singh Sidhu will also be joining the ceremony.

    The inaugural ceremony for the Kartarpur Corridor will be held on both sides of the border on Saturday, November 9.

    The
    corridor will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Imran Khan on the Pakistani
    side, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi will do the opening on the other side
    of the border.

    Thousands of Sikh pilgrims arrive in Pakistan every year by a special train to participate in the three-day festival marking the birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism.

    However, this year is special as it is not only the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak but also marks the opening of Kartarpur Corridor between Pakistan and India that allows Sikh pilgrims to visit Gurdwara without a passport.

  • Viral image: Woman commando guards Indian Sikh pilgrims

    Viral image: Woman commando guards Indian Sikh pilgrims

    An old image of a woman commando guarding Indian Sikhs as they arrive in Pakistan for a religious tour has gone viral over the internet.

    Captured at Wagah Railway Station back in 2015, the startling picture reflects many things, but respect is the common emotion one can feel out of it.

    Serving two purposes, while the image dissolves religious differences between the two countries, it also buries stereotypes about Pakistan regarding women.

    Thousands of Indian pilgrims arrive in Pakistan every year by a special train to participate in the three-day festival marking the birth anniversary of their spiritual leader Baba Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism.

    KARTARPUR CORRIDOR:

    Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary is being observed this year and thousands of Sikhs from across the globe have converged in Nankana Sahib. What makes the occasion special this year is that it also marks the opening of Kartarpur Corridor between Pakistan and India.

    Notwithstanding a chill in bilateral ties over occupied Kashmir, the two countries, after tough negotiations, signed a landmark agreement last week, to operationalise the corridor allowing Indian pilgrims to visit the holy Sikh shrine.

    The three-day event will be held from November 10 to 12 in the Punjab district — the birthplace of Baba Guru Nanak — located around 80km from Lahore.

    According to The Express Tribune, it will coincide with a separate event in the border town of Kartarpur, which also houses a historic Gurdwara — Sikh house of worship — where Guru Nanak settled and died in 1539.

    The two neighbouring countries have decided that 5,000 pilgrims from India can visit this shrine daily without showing travel permits.

  • PICTURES: Special ICU set up for Nawaz Sharif at Jati Umra

    PICTURES: Special ICU set up for Nawaz Sharif at Jati Umra

    Sixteen days after being treated at the Services Hospital in Lahore, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif arrived at Jati Umra where a special ICU has been set up for him.

    According to a statement issued by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb, a special medical unit has been prepared at Sharif’s Jati Umra residence and he will be treated at home.

    “An intensive care unit (ICU) has been prepared under the supervision of Dr Adnan (his personal doctor),” Aurangzeb said adding that an ICU ventilator and cardiac facilities have also been provided.

    Sharing pictures of the unit on social media, Dr Adnan said that “a specialised HDU” has been established for Nawaz’s treatment “which is appropriately equipped and staffed 24/7.”

    The doctors have banned visitors and will ensure that Nawaz remains under intensive care. The doctors have also advised Maryam Nawaz to take precautionary measures for the health of her father.

    Meanwhile, Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry took a jibe at the PML-N supremo and said that he was the first patient to move home from the hospital despite being sick.

    On October 29, the Islamabad High Court suspended Sharif’s sentence in the Al-Azizia corruption reference for eight weeks on medical grounds.

  • VIDEO: Atif Aslam has the funniest take on the ‘Do takay ki aurat’ dialogue

    VIDEO: Atif Aslam has the funniest take on the ‘Do takay ki aurat’ dialogue

    Who knew that the singing sensation Atif Aslam has a funny side to him?

    In a recent video shared by Adnan Siddiqui, Atif made a guest appearance and we got a glimpse of the singer’s funny side and it left us laughing.

    While updating his fans about his whereabouts, Adnan said that he has a surprise for them.

    The camera then turns to Atif who says, “Adnan, aap bohot barey businessman hain. Aap nay iss 2 takkay ki flight kay liye, 50 million ki video bana di, [Adnan, you are a successful businessman, you made a video worth 50 million for a flight worth two pennies].”

    The two start laughing and Adnan remarks, “Dekh rahe hain aap sab?”

    Watch the video here:

    The video shared by Adnan was shot while the two were killing time during transit at the Dubai Airport. Atif and Adnan are on their way to the United States of America.

    The ‘Do takay ki larki‘ dialogue from the superhit Pakistani drama Meray Paas Tum Ho has gone viral, especially among social media users.

  • Navjot Singh Sidhu to join for Kartarpur opening ceremony

    India’s Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu has confirmed his participation in the inauguration ceremony of the Kartarpur Corridor on November 9.

    According to reports, Sidhu spoke to Senator Faisal Javed on the phone and confirmed his attendance. He also thanked the Pakistan government, especially Prime Minister Imran Khan, for opening the corridor to mark the 550th Birth Anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak Devji.

    The Indian leader expressed that he along with millions of Sikhs across the globe are eagerly awaiting the inauguration ceremony.

    Read More: Kartarpur Corridor is ready to welcome Sikh pilgrims

    Meanwhile, Senator Faisal congratulated Sidhu and the entire Sikh community on the occasion. He said that Pakistan will warmly welcome the former cricketer-turned-politician and the other pilgrims who will come to Kartarpur from around the world.

    PM Imran Khan will participate in the ceremony on November 9 as the chief guest.

  • Army follows govt’s orders, has nothing to do with politics: Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor

    Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Major General Asif Ghafoor has said that Pakistan Army is not meddling in politics as it is busy in ensuring the security of the country.

    “Marches and sit-ins are a political activity and the army, as a state institution, has nothing to do with them,” he told a private media outlet and added that it had also supported the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government during the 126-day sit-in staged by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in 2014.

    “The army had followed the government’s instructions at that time and as an institution, had deployed troops for the security of important buildings and performed other tasks assigned by the government,” the military spokesperson said.

    “The army follows the government’s orders,” he said while talking about the military’s deployment during the general elections and added it was only for security reasons.

    “The work we are involved in does not allow us to become a part of any such [political] activity,” he said in an apparent response to the allegations levelled by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman regarding the military’s involvement in politics.

    The ISPR chief further said that the army’s primary focus was ensuring national security and they would not allow any efforts to harm national stability. “We will always support the government within the ambit of the constitution.”

  • Jemima Khan reacts to being called ‘Wiki’s’ cousin

    Jemima Khan reacts to being called ‘Wiki’s’ cousin

    Former wife of Prime Minister Imran Khan, Jemima Goldsmith had a hilarious response to being called ‘Wiki of Wikileaks’ cousin by Jamiat Ulema Islam Fazl (JUI-F) leader Mufti Kifayat.

    During a debate on a private TV channel, when the anchor apprised Mufti Kifayat that as per cable leaks, Maulana Fazlur Rehman had met an American official, Mufti Kifayat interrupted him and said that ‘Wiki of Wikileaks’ is cousin of Jemima Goldsmith and that the leak [regarding Fazlur Rehman] was part of a vested agenda.

    Jemima founds the claims to be extremely amusing and took to Twitter to share her amusement.

    Jemima then even joked that “Panama Leaks” and “Vicky Pedia” are also her cousins.

    When Mufti Kifayatullah stood by his claims in another talk show, Jemima also responded to that.

    Mufti Kifayatullah, a JUI-F leader, was arrested from Islamabad the day his party began their ‘Azadi March’ for making inflammatory statements against state institutions. He was later released on bail by the Peshawar High Court.

    Meanwhile, Jemima also added that nothing “compares to the madness, vitriol & corruption of Pakistan’s elections.”

    Journalists and other Twitter users loved Jemima’s response.

    According to its website, WikiLeaks is “a multi-national media organisation and associated library. It was founded by its publisher Julian Assange in 2006.”

    WikiLeaks says it specialises in “the analysis and publication of large datasets of censored or otherwise restricted official materials involving war, spying and corruption. It has so far published more than 10 million documents and associated analyses.”

  • Irshad Bhatti slapped with legal notice over Buzdar’s ‘second marriage’ claims

    Irshad Bhatti slapped with legal notice over Buzdar’s ‘second marriage’ claims

    Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Sardar Usman Buzdar on Wednesday served a legal notice to journalist Irshad Bhatti for claiming that the former had “recently gotten married for the second time”.

    Bhatti had on October 29 claimed that the provincial chief executive “had gotten married for the second time” and congratulated his colleagues while appearing on Geo News‘ programme “Report Card”.

    “I congratulate all of you as Buzdar Sahib has gotten married for the second time… and on top of that, stories surrounding his new in-laws are amazing,” he had said.

    “You have made certain assertations and touted them as facts which, I am instructed, are completely untrue and baseless, to say the least,” CM Buzdar’s lawyer, Advocate Obaid Ullah, stated in the notice served to Bhatti on Wednesday.

    The notice further said that that the statements had damaged Buzdar’s reputation both personally and as a politician, and “lowered him in the estimation of others”.

    “Personal relationships of my client with his family members, who are also respectable members of the society, have been soured and grossly undermined as a natural consequence of your defamatory utterances.”

    Seeking an unequivocal apology within 14 days, Obaid also sought for CM Buzdar Rs250 million in damages. “…failing which, if a suit is filed, Rs500 million plus mark up shall be claimed, apart from the claim pertaining to entangling and grossly undermining the personal relationships of my client and his family.”

  • Four-day workweek increases productivity by 40%, reveals Microsoft experiment

    One of the world’s leading technology company Microsoft tested out a four-day workweek in its Japan offices and discovered that employees were not only happier – but significantly more productive.

    According to The Guardian, Microsoft experimented with a new project called Work-Life Choice Challenge Summer 2019 in the month of August. Under the program, the company’s entire 2,300-person workforce were given five Fridays off in a row without decreasing pay.

    The shortened weeks led to more efficient meetings, happier workers and boosted productivity by a whopping 40%.

    In addition to the increased productivity, employees took 25% less time off during the trial and electricity use was down 23% in the office. Employees printed 59% fewer pages of paper during the trial. The vast majority of employees – 92% – said they liked the shorter week as it led to a better work-life balance.

    Read more: ‘Burn-out’ is real, WHO recognises it as a medical condition

    This is not the first time long weekends have been experimented with in the corporate world. Previously in 2018, a New Zealand trust management company also trialled a four-day workweek over two months for its 240 staff members. Employees reported experiencing better work-life balance and improved focus in the office while staff stress levels decreased by 7%.

    Meanwhile, an experiment published by the Harvard Business Review shows that shorter workdays, a decrease from the average 8-hour workday to a 6-hour workday, increased productivity.

  • ICC features Pakistani American couple watching cricket during wedding ceremony

    ICC features Pakistani American couple watching cricket during wedding ceremony

    The International Cricket Council (ICC) has featured on its social media a Pakistani American couple watching the first T20 match played between Pakistan and Australia on Sunday.

    “Here’s a message we got from a fan in the US [United States],” ICC wrote as it shared the couple’s picture as well as the groom’s message.

    “As a die-hard cricket fan, I wanted to submit a photograph from my wedding this past weekend. As per tradition, after the completion of the wedding, the bride is brought home for a little traditional welcoming ceremony among the close family,” Hasan Tasleem wrote, adding that as they reached back home around midnight in Detroit, the game was underway.

    “Over the years, residing in North America, I’ve stayed up at all sorts of odd hours at night to catch Team Pakistan play. Even though it was my wedding night, I wasn’t going to miss the game,” he added.

    On Sunday, rain abandoned the first T20I between Pakistan and Australia in Sydney. The hosts were motoring along at 41-0 in just 3.1 overs as they chased 119 in 90 balls. The match was, however, abandoned after rain interrupted play for the second time.

    Australia won the second T20 on Tuesday by seven wickets with nine balls remaining.