Current Final

Author: News Desk

  • Court grants bail to Fawad Chaudhry in corruption case

    Court grants bail to Fawad Chaudhry in corruption case

    A special court in Rawalpindi granted post-arrest bail to former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry on Sunday in a corruption case.

    The court announced its decision to release the former minister, ordering him to submit a surety bond of Rs200,000.

    Fawad Chaudhry was arrested in November, in a case pertaining to a Rs5 million bribe paid by a citizen in August 2022.

    Following the extension of his physical remand, he was subsequently placed on judicial remand and is currently incarcerated at the Adiala jail.

    While speaking with reporters outside the court, Fawad’s brother, Faisal Chaudhry, said that the ex-minister will take part in the upcoming polls, which are set to take place on February 8, 2024.

    He also said that it has not been decided yet on what party ticket Fawad will contest the election.

    “This decision will come as a surprise,” Faisal said.

    Faisal Chaudhry also said that the conflict between him and his sister-in-law, Hiba Fawad, is a family matter.

    “Hiba is my elder sister. [We] will resolve the domestic matter at home,” he stated.

  • Zardari stops party leaders from forming alliance with PTI in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

    Zardari stops party leaders from forming alliance with PTI in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairman and former president Asif Ali Zardari met PPP Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) leaders on Sunday to discuss the upcoming general elections and political alliances with like-minded parties.

    During the huddle, the former president also directed the PPP leaders to not form an alliance with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for the forthcoming polls on February 8 next year.

    Asif Zardari said that local leaders of PPP can form alliances with any other political party except the PTI in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

    The former president stayed at the Governor House, while KP Governor Haji Ghulam Ali met him as well.

    Governor Ghulam Ali and Mayor Peshawar Zubair Ali gave a traditional shawl to a PPP co-chairperson as a gift.

    Meanwhile, PPP’s senior leaders also ruled out an election alliance with the PTI in KP. “We never brought under discussion alliance with PTI in our meeting with party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Sunday,” said PPP leader and former MPA Mohammad Ali Shah Bacha.

    The head of the PPP women’s wing, Faryal Talpur, also attended the PPP KP parliamentary board meeting.

    Former Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, former deputy speaker of the National Assembly (NA) Faisal Karim Kundi, Mohammad Ali Shah Bacha, and Rubina Khalid also attended the huddle.

    On the other hand, another PPP leader, Ziaullah Afridi, said that the former president didn’t visit KP. He claimed that he invited Zardari to his son’s wedding, and the former president just accepted it.

  • Palestinians forced to loot aid trucks as hunger crisis worsen

    Palestinians forced to loot aid trucks as hunger crisis worsen

    Intensified Israeli attacks on Gaza continue after more than two months since the October 7 attacks.

    Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud from Rafah reported on increasing hunger in the Gaza strip as available resources are not enough to compensate for food requirements and other necessities for the locals who are now on “survival mode”.

    A video from Sunday shows Palestinians jumping onto aid trucks to get their hands on food and other supplies in the Rafah area near the border with Egypt.

    As the aid truck drove by, the locals tried to stop it, climbed up on it, pulling or pushing down containers of food and water, “carrying them off or passing them off to crowds below”.

    Al Jazeera reports that some trucks were guarded by masked people with sticks.

    “The humanitarian situation has become very desperate, not only for the residents of Rafah city but also for the one million displaced Palestinians here who are becoming hungry, thirsty and traumatised as the war pounds on,” said Hani Mahmoud.

    “People are without anything – without a home, without access to food, without water and without medical supplies,” he said.

    “So, the scenes at Rafah crossing are a natural response: When people starve to death, when they are hungry, this is what we will see happening.”

  • Injury forces Shadab Khan out of New Zealand tour

    Injury forces Shadab Khan out of New Zealand tour

    All-rounder Shadab Khan has been ruled out of Pakistan’s tour of New Zealand.

    According to details, Shadab Khan suffered a foot injury which will take four more weeks to heal.

    Shadab Khan was injured while playing against Sialkot at United Bank Limited (UBL) Sports Complex Karachi on December 3, spraining his leg while fielding in the match. A video surfaced online showing Khan being carried out of the ground while sitting on his teammate’s back.

    Pakistan will play five T20 matches in New Zealand in January 2024 while the first match will be played on January 12 in Auckland.

  • PTI had a virtual jalsa last night and the internet shutdown all over Pakistan: here is how people are reacting

    PTI had a virtual jalsa last night and the internet shutdown all over Pakistan: here is how people are reacting

    Internet services faced serious disruptions on Sunday night as a large number of people complained about difficulties in accessing social media sites where Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was holding a virtual election rally.


    Users from different parts of the country reported slow internet speed all across the country, especially in Karachi, Lahore, Mir Pur Khas, and Rawalpindi.

    Downdetector confirmed that website versions were down since around 7pm in the evening.


    However, PTI supporters have implied that the government deliberately ‘slowed’ the service to thwart people from joining the jalsa.


    It is important to note that PTI says that it has been banned from holding public gatherings and rallies across post May 9 riots. However, as elections loom closer, supporters and party leadership are the making most of modern technology and social media to gain momentum.


    TV Host, Owais Mangalwala, wrote on X, “The speed of the internet has slowed down to the point that nobody can attend the virtual jalsa”.


    Different accounts shared screenshots of the number of responses #PTIVirtualJalsa has garnered all across social media.


    The meme brigade also jumped in to spin the whole situation funnily.

    Taking a jibe at the opposition Usama Ghazi posted a meme:


    Some of the netizens showed their commitment to the party by posting videos of them being part of the jalsa even though virtually. Singer Annie Khalid posted on X.

    The Internet Observatory Authority, NetBlocks, also confirmed internet blockades in various parts of the country.


    The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has said that it is looking into reports that internet services witnessed disruption in “some parts” of the country, reports The News.


    In a statement on Monday, the PTA said the overall situation of internet access across the country was normal.

  • ‘No doubt the guys can beat Australia in Australia’; Social media reacts to Hafeez’s statement

    ‘No doubt the guys can beat Australia in Australia’; Social media reacts to Hafeez’s statement

    During a press conference held after Pakistan lost the Perth Test, the Director of the team, Mohammad Hafee, said, “The Pakistan team is fully capable of making a comeback and no doubt the guys can beat Australia in Australia”.

    Hafeez said, “Pakistan’s batting unit did not perform well. Shaheen Afridi and Babar Azam alone are not responsible for good performance, but the domestic players who were given a chance also performed well.”

    The Pakistan Cricket Team Director also said that the conditions in Perth were good thanks to Cricket Australia, providing equal opportunities for batsmen and bowlers.

    He said that the Pakistan team can beat any team in any conditions. After this statement social media users started trolling Muhammad Hafeez.

    Here are the reactions on social media:

  • Shop that sold used sherwani getting sued by customer

    Shop that sold used sherwani getting sued by customer

    A local boutique owner has been sent a compensation notice by an upset buyer who alleges that he was sold an old sherwani for his cousin’s wedding.

    A man, identified as Usman Shabbir, reached out to the Consumer Protection Court to file a complaint against the owner of the local boutique demanding Rs500,000 from him.

    The News reports that the sherwani was ordered from the boutique on September 8 and according to the notice, the new sherwani was to be designed for Rs20,000 while Shabir paid Rs15,000 in advance.

    “The owner of the boutique gave an old sherwani instead of a new one,” the notice read, adding that the owner violated the Punjab Consumer Protection Act 2005.

    The district consumer court has summoned the owner of the boutique on January 2, 2024 .

  • Pakistan’s current account records first surplus since June 2023

    Pakistan’s current account records first surplus since June 2023

    In a noteworthy turnaround, Pakistan’s current account, after four consecutive months of deficits, revealed a surplus of $9 million in November 2023. 

    This marks a stark contrast to the $157 million deficit recorded in the same month the previous year, as reported by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Monday.

    This surplus, the first since June 2023, is significantly lower in volume compared to its standing at $520 million. 

    Analysts attribute this surplus to a substantial rise in the country’s exports and remittances, coupled with a marginal decline in imports. Worth noting is the previous month’s current account deficit of $184 million in October 2023.

    According to SBP data, November 2023 witnessed a 12 per cent surge in the country’s exports (goods and services) to $3.364 billion, compared to $2.999 billion in November 2022. 

    Simultaneously, remittances reached $2.25 billion, reflecting a 4 per cent increase from the same month last year. Conversely, total imports saw a nearly 6 per cent reduction to $5.29 billion in November 2023, down from $5.01 billion the previous year.

    SBP reports a significant improvement, with Pakistan’s current account deficit for July-November of FY24 standing at $1.16 billion, a remarkable 64 per cent decrease from the $3.3 billion deficit in the same period of the previous fiscal year (FY23).

    During its latest Monetary Policy Committee meeting on December 12, the SBP highlighted a notable enhancement in the current account balance, with the deficit narrowing by 65.9 per cent year-on-year to $1.1 billion during Jul-Oct FY24.

    This shift is crucial for economically challenged Pakistan, heavily reliant on imports, as a widening deficit exerts pressure on the exchange rate and depletes official foreign exchange reserves, currently standing at slightly over $7 billion according to the latest data.

  • Why did HSY fail to recognise Urfi Javed?

    Why did HSY fail to recognise Urfi Javed?

    Fashion designer Hassan Sheheryar Yasin, popularly known as ‘HSY, didn’t recognise Indian actress Urfi Javed during an interview.

    HSY was a guest on a TV show where he shared amusing responses to quick questions. When a photo of Urfi Javed was brought up, HSY couldn’t recognize the Indian actress and asked, “Who is Urfi Javed?”


    Even after the host introduced her, the Pakistani fashion designer still didn’t recognize her and went on to explain the reason behind not knowing her.
    “Unfortunately, I know very little about the Indian film industry, I don’t know what’s going on there,” he said.
    The designer continued by saying that we should give Indian artists as much attention as they give us. “There was a time when our artists worked there and their artists worked here, people of both countries respected each other. Here I am not talking about common people but their government and its talking about policies that don’t support the exchange of art and culture.”

  • Third ODI: Pakistan Women defeats New Zealand in Super Over

    Third ODI: Pakistan Women defeats New Zealand in Super Over

    Pakistan women’s cricket team defeated New Zealand by three runs in the Super over stage in the third ODI.

    The third one-day match played between New Zealand and Pakistan in Christchurch was tied, after which the match was decided in an over, and the national team won by three runs in this stage.

    In the last ODI, the Kiwis team scored 251 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in the allotted 50 overs, Maddie Green remained unbeaten by scoring 65 runs while Amelia Kerr scored 77 runs and Sophie Devine played an innings of 29 runs.

    On behalf of Pakistan, Nashra Sandhu and Ghulam Fatima led two players to the pavilion.

    In pursuit of the target, the Pakistani team could only score 251 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in the allotted overs, due to which the match was declared a tie.

    On behalf of Pakistan, Bamsa Maruf 68 and Alia Riaz were prominent by playing an innings of 44 runs, while among other players, Fatima Sana 36, ​​Natalia Parvez 26, and Najiha Alvi played an innings of 23 runs.

    After the match was tied, the decider was decided in the Super Over in which the Pakistani team scored 11 runs while the Kiwis team could score only 8 runs for the loss of two wickets. The Green Shirts defeated the hosts by three runs, however, New Zealand won the three-match series by 2-1.