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Author: News Desk

  • JUI-F clerics ban women from door to door campaigning in Kohistan

    JUI-F clerics ban women from door to door campaigning in Kohistan

    Parties competing for elections in Kohistan will not be allowed to send female members for door-to-door campaigning to mobilise voters in different constituencies after a 30-member group of clerics — mostly from the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) — unanimously issued a verdict against it, declaring it un-Islamic.


    In their decree, the clerics have strictly banned canvassing by women for the upcoming February 8 general elections.


    In a gathering at the JUI-F central office in Kohistan’s Kamila town, Mufti Gul Shahzada of Kandia said: “Taking women door-to-door for seeking votes is against the Islamic injunctions and Shariah.”


    At least 400 clerics from different parts of the district attended the gathering and endorsed Mufti Shahzada, as he spelled out six decrees, all related to upcoming elections, in front of them.


    It is important to note that two women aspirants backed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), including Tehmina Faheem from PK-31 Kohistan-I and former lawmaker Momina Basit, and an independent Sanaya Sabeel from PK-33 Kolai-Palas are campaigning to win seats in the February 8 general elections for the first time in the district’s history.

    Tehmina Faheem
    Momina Basit


    Mufti Shahzada told the gathering that all decrees had been issued in light of the current situation. He said these were based on Islamic jurisprudence with references taken from different religious books.


    “If anybody votes against Islamic ideology, it means he is testifying to an untrue and biased statement, which is a grave sin and also against Islamic Shariah,” he added.


    The clerics warned that taking the Holy Quran to compel people to vote was a sacrilegious act and should never be exercised.


    “Those casting votes on the linguistic, regional and clan grounds are also negating Islamic teachings and no such exercise should be carried out in this district,” the mufti added.


    When approached, the women contestants in Kohistan in the February 8 general elections said they would give their point of view after consulting their parties, The News reported.

  • Pakistani-British doctor miraculously saves woman’s life on flight through apple watch

    Pakistani-British doctor miraculously saves woman’s life on flight through apple watch

    A British doctor of Pakistani origin saved the life of an elderly woman on a flight with the help of an Apple Watch.


    According to the British broadcaster BBC, Dr. Rashid Riaz of the National Health Service (NHS) from Hereford, England, was going to Verona from Birmingham for a vacation. He was on a flight when a 70-year-old woman’s condition suddenly deteriorated, leading ti difficulty in breathing.


    Seeing the condition of the woman, the flight attendant asked if there was a doctor on board, upon which Dr. Rashid Riaz came forward to help.


    After the initial check-up, he wanted to check the patient’s oxygen saturation level but was unable to do so using the equipment on the flight. He then asked the crew if there was an Apple Watch available to monitor the woman’s health. “The Apple Watch helped me find out the patient had low oxygen saturation,” the doctor told the BBC.


    He used local health monitoring software to estimate levels.


    Dr. Rashid Riaz said that the woman was suffering from heart disease and with the help of Apple Watch, it was easy for him to detect the decreasing oxygen level of the elderly woman, thus saving her life by providing oxygen.

  • New profit rates unveiled for National Savings Schemes

    New profit rates unveiled for National Savings Schemes

    The Central Directorate of National Savings (CDNS) has recently adjusted the rates of return on several National Savings Schemes.

    Special Savings Certificates (SSC) will now offer a 16 per cent return, down by 40 basis points (bps) from the previous 16.4 per cent.

    Similarly, Defence Saving Certificates (DSC) will yield 14.22 per cent, a decrease of 19 bps from the earlier 14.41 per cent.

    Short Term Savings Certificates (STSC) will see a decline to 20.34 per cent from the previous 20.8 per cent, reflecting a 46 bps decrease.

    Moreover, Regular Income Certificates (RIC) now offer a 15 per cent return, down by 12 bps from the previous 15.12 per cent.

    Notably, Bahbood Savings Certificates (BSC), Savings Account (SA), and Pensioners Benefit Account (PBA) rates remain unchanged.

    These adjustments will take effect from January 26. The revision precedes the upcoming Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Monday, January 29, 2023.

    In the last MPC meeting, the SBP maintained the key interest rate at 22 per cent, anticipating a significant decline in headline inflation during the second half of FY24.

    The December Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based inflation registered at 29.7 per cent year-on-year, slightly higher than November, with a 0.8 per cent month-on-month increase.

  • International Court of Justice acknowledges Israeli genocide against Palestinians; does not call for ceasefire

    International Court of Justice acknowledges Israeli genocide against Palestinians; does not call for ceasefire

    The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has announced its first ruling on South Africa’s genocide case against Israel on Friday evening, calling on Israel to take urgent and effective measure to protect Palestinians, contain death toll and destruction, acknowledging that there is a risk of genocide in Gaza. However, it did not call for an immediate ceasefire.

    The hearing took place on Friday with 16 judges out of the court’s 17-member panel, present. Presiding Judge Joan Donoghue asserted that the court has the authority to rule over emergency measures in the case.

    The court noted that the charges against Israel fall under the provisions of the Genocide Convention, additionally acknowledging that Israeli military operations have killed as well as injured a large number Palestinians in Gaza, destroyed a number of homes and infrastructure, and resulted in the internal displacement of about 1.7 million people.

    It was further acknowledged that the Palestinians’ have the right to be protected from acts of genocide.

    The issue of “dehumanising language” used against Palestinians was also highlighted, particularly shedding light on statements by Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant ordering a “complete siege” of Gaza and apprising the soldiers that they are fighting against “human animals”.

    Social Media Reacts

  • ‘Submit report on all detention camps in the country’, Sindh High Court

    ‘Submit report on all detention camps in the country’, Sindh High Court

    In a significant development, the Sindh High Court (SHC) has granted a three-week deadline to the Federal Defence Ministry and the Sindh Home Department to submit a comprehensive report on all detention camps across the country.

    The directive came from a two-judge bench, with Justice Naimatullah Phulpoto presiding, during a hearing on Thursday concerning petitions related to the recovery of missing persons.

    The bench took cognizance of the case after one petitioner revealed that her husband, Tahir Rehan, had been missing since 2015, with no investigative action taken by the police.

    Expressing dissatisfaction with the public prosecutor’s claim of providing Rs500,000 in compensation, the petitioner asserted that she had not received any such compensation.

    The Sindh Home Department officially announced the suspension of compensation payments to families of missing persons, as revealed in a report submitted to the Sindh High Court.

    The court had directed the submission of a comprehensive report to federal authorities, including the Interior Secretary and Defense Secretary, concerning applications related to compensation for families of missing persons.

    In a proactive measure, the court ordered the publication of advertisements in both print and electronic media to aid in the search for Shahri Majid, missing since 2015.

    Additionally, the court directed the gathering of information on missing persons from jail authorities and various locations across the country.

  • Candidates withdraw in favour of Nawaz Sharif; PPP

    Candidates withdraw in favour of Nawaz Sharif; PPP

    Independent candidate Qazi Tayyab Shahzad on Thursday decided to withdraw from NA-15 Mansehra in favour of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif, SAMMA has reported.

    Shahzad had announced that he will support the former prime minister in the upcoming general elections. According to the details, Tayyab Shahzad’s nomination papers were accepted, but he had decided not to take part in the elections.

    The returning officer had issued a notification of Shehzad’s withdrawal from NA-15.

    On the other hand, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Saifullah Abro called on Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and expressed his trust in his leadership, announcing to withdraw from the election race in NA-194 constituency and promised to support the candidate of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

    On the other hand, PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif promised to give youth loans after coming into power.

    Addressing the public gathering in Mandi Bahauddin on Thursday, the former prime minister took a dig at the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), saying, ‘’The long march was staged against Nawaz Sharif during his tenure as the premier. The Chinese president’s tour was delayed due to the PTI’s protests.’’

    ‘’Who were those people who were indulging in such tactics? The protests in Islamabad were staged, and foul language was embraced. The conspiracy against Nawaz Sharif was started after 2013,’’ Shehbaz Sharif maintained.

  • Bilawal shows the ‘reality’ of NA 127

    Bilawal shows the ‘reality’ of NA 127

    In an interesting interaction on X (former Twitter), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari shared videos highlighting the ‘reality’ of NA 127, an important constituency in Lahore.

    Elections are around the corner and candidates from different constituencies are using social media platforms to convince voters to vote for them. Journalist and anchor person Mansoor Ali Khan took to X and shared an image of a banner.

    “Banners displayed in Bilawal’s constituency,” the tweet said while banner stated, “Karachi nahi Lahore Chahiye”.

    Bilawal quote tweeted this with two videos stating, “Meanwhile the ground reality of Lahore NA127.”

    The videos showed debris and garbage in the constituency along with sewerage issues.

    https://twitter.com/BBhuttoZardari/status/1750825107382300907?s=20
  • BPL team owner rejects match-fixing allegations against Shoaib Malik

    BPL team owner rejects match-fixing allegations against Shoaib Malik

    A statement by the owner of Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) team Fortune Barisal has been issued to defend Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik’s against allegations of involvement in match-fixing, Geo News has reported.

    Shoaib Malik bowled three consecutive no-balls in a BPL march, after which match-fixing allegations were levelled against him by fans.

    Fortunes’ owner Barishal Meezanur Rahman said, “The rumors about match-fixing against Shoaib Malik are baseless. Shoaib Malik is a good cricketer, and he has played the best game for our team.” He added that Malik is a senior cricketer, and deserves to be respected.

    Malik went to the United Arab Emirates from Bangladesh to play in the T10 League after playing a BPL match 3 days ago.

    The spokesperson of Fortune Barisal has confirmed that Shoaib was supposed to return before the next match but now he he will arrive on February 4. The team thinks that Shoaib Malik shouldn’t play anymore.

  • Imran Abbas new film seems like a romantic journey of a lifetime

    Imran Abbas new film seems like a romantic journey of a lifetime

    Imran Abbass is gearing up for the release of his Punjabi film, and his fans, who have been eagerly waiting since he shared behind-the-scenes pictures, can finally rejoice as the trailer is now out. We can catch a sneak peek of the movie :Jee Ve Sohneya Jee with its fantastic trailer, featuring Simi Chahal.

    The movie, directed by Thaparr and produced by Sunny Raj, Varun Arora, Amit Juneja, and Dr. Prabhjot Sidhu, with co-production by Sarla Rani, is set to hit theaters on February 16, 2024.

    The film’s trailer and music, released under U&I Music, promise an exciting love story featuring Simi Chahal and Imran Abbas in their first-ever on-screen collaboration.
    The movie tells the story of a boy who travels a long way to win the love of someone from across the border, whom he met abroad. Throughout his journey, he encounters adventures and challenges, but he remains devoted to his love. The film’s songs are catchy and may become the next big thing.

    Check out the trailer for “Jee Ve Sohneya Jee,” :

  • JI calls for sit-in outside Board of Intermediate Education Karachi after 80 per cent students fail

    JI calls for sit-in outside Board of Intermediate Education Karachi after 80 per cent students fail

    The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) has announced a sit-in outside the Board of Intermediate Education office in Karachi (BoIEK) following the announcement of inter results which revealed that about 80 per cent Arts students had failed.

    In a press conference in Karachi, JI’s city chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman blamed BoIEK for putting children’s future at stake by undermining their education due with their ineptness.

    He has also claimed that the students were subjected to board’s incompetence during examinations such as cheating, paper leaks, and external interference, so much so that Metropolitan University, Karachi University, and NED University can not be deemed as credible anymore.

    Hafiz Naeemur Rehman also called for a protest outside the Intermediate Board office on Friday, asking students to join along with their mark sheets.

    Background

    The results for first-year (Part-I) examination announced by the Board of Intermediate Education Karachi (BIEK) raised concerns as more than 50 per cent of the students have failed.

    According to the inter board spokesperson, 72 per cent of the candidates failed in arts first year (private) and 80 per cent in arts (regular).

    He added that 11,046 candidates participated in the Arts (regular) exams in which only 2,298 candidates were successful while 2,795 candidates participated in the Arts private exams in which 792 candidates passed all the papers.

    Additionally, 63 per cent of the candidates failed in Commerce (private) as 1,986 candidates participated in the exams, out of which 744 candidates passed all the papers.