Current Final

Author: News Desk

  • Former Army Chief willing to appear as witness in cipher case: The News

    Former Army Chief willing to appear as witness in cipher case: The News

    Former army chief General (r) Qamar Javed Bajwa can surprise founder and former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan, as he is “willing to appear” as a witness in the cipher case, The News has reported.

    During the last hearing in cipher case, Imran Khan said while speaking to journalists, “I will include General Bajwa and US Embassy officials as witnesses in the case.”

    A source from The News confirmed that the former army chief also showed willingness to appear as a witness. However, he will require permission from military authorities.

    The former prime minister is currently in Adiala jail and facing charges under the Official Secrets Act, 1923. A special court is hearing the cipher case against Imran Khan and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

    Imran had alleged that “General Bajwa did everything on Donald Lu’s directives”. 

    This accusation does not match the statements given by witnesses, including the former secretary of foreign affairs and Pakistan’s former ambassador to the US. Pakistan’s former ambassador to the US was in contact with Donald Lu, and their communication’s result was a cable that was sent to the foreign ministry, which is a normal thing.

    Imran Khan had also claimed that the cipher was a conspiracy against him to remove him from the office.

    The National Security Committee (NSC) deliberated over the cipher twice, once when Imran Khan was the prime minister of Pakistan and later in the tenure of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shehbaz Sharif.

    The NSC found no evidence of conspiracy on both occasions against Imran Khan in the cipher.

  • South African fast bowler Gerald Coetzee got married

    South African fast bowler Gerald Coetzee got married

    Proteas fast bowler Gerald Coetzee has tied the knot with long-time girlfriend Hannah Haythorne in a wedding ceremony at Ellandskloof Farm in Helderstrom with close friends and family in attendance.

    Gerald Coetzee is known for his speed and skill on the cricket field. He has taken a short break from his career to start a new journey in life.

    Cricket personalities also attended the wedding ceremony while fellow players and friends expressed their best wishes for the newly wedded couple.

    Gerald Coetzee has so far represented South Africa in 14 ODIs, 3 T20Is, and 2 Tests.

  • Lawyer says Dr Afia was assaulted two times by jail guards in America

    Lawyer says Dr Afia was assaulted two times by jail guards in America

    Clive Stafford Smith, the lawyer of neuroscientist Dr Afia Siddiqui, currently jailed in America, has said in a shocking interview to Geo News that she has been subjected to sexual abuse as an investigation tactic, including being assaulted twice by prison guards in America, and harassed multiple times by fellow jail inmates.

    Her lawyer also mentioned that the Pakistani government is also aware of the two instances of sexual assault. Smith revealed that a sexual assault complaint was, therefore, filed on her behalf. “What they have been doing to her is pretty much unspeakable,” he said.
    Clive pointed out the tragic fact that there are close to 10,250 women in the American federal prison system. The woman who is treated the harshest of them all is Afia Siddiqui, currently in FMC Carswell Jail in Texas.

    He stressed that the Government of Pakistan has been informed about these instances and since it represents Afia on international forums, it is a failure on the part of the government of Pakistan that they have not tried enough to get her back.


    In August, Clive also posted about having compiled a report about “the sexual abuse that poor #Aafia has suffered at American hands in the last 20 years”.


    These comments by Afia’s lawyer also pointed to a 2018 report prepared by Aisha Farooqui, Pakistan’s former consul general in Houston, in which she cited physical and sexual abuse that Dr. Aafia was subjected to during her detention. That report recommended “Exploring a legal mechanism for her repatriation to Pakistan to complete her sentence in Pakistan, where at least she would be safe and would be able to meet her mother and children, who she has not met in almost eight years.”

    Clive posted about his last meeting with Dr Afia, “She ended our meeting sobbing, ‘I’m not going back to that cell & the sexual predators. Take me out of here. I’m innocent!’ Over&Over&Over for 28 minutes before they made me leave.”


    Dr Afia is currently being visited by her sister Dr Fowzia Siddiqui where they are not allowed to touch or hug each other and have to talk to each other been separated by glass screens. Fowzia shared in a video message that she found her sister to be in a worse condition than before.


    For the first two times, the jail administration did not let them meet by using the excuse that the key to Afia’s prison is lost.


    Earlier this year, the sisters met after 20 years when the elder Dr Fowzia visited her in June at a prison hospital in Fort Worth, Texas, US. Dr Fowzia said: “Due to her condition, I could not even recognise her,” reports Geo.

    Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, a US-educated Pakistani scientist, was jailed in 2010 for 86 years by a New York federal district court in September 2008 on charges of attempted murder and assault, stemming from an incident during an interview with the US authorities in Ghazni, Afghanistan — charges that she denied.

  • In a rare move, UN secretary-general invokes Article 99 on Gaza

    In a rare move, UN secretary-general invokes Article 99 on Gaza

    The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has invoked Article 99 of the UN Charter, calling on the Security Council to declare a ceasefire to put a stop to Israeli atrocities committed in Gaza.

    Invoking Article 99 is one of the few powers that the Charter gives the UN Secretary-General.

    In a letter written to the council’s president, Guterres cites the responsibility of the 15-member Security Council that has the obligation to maintain international peace and security, stating that the situation in Gaza and Israel “may aggravate existing threats to the maintenance of international peace and security.”

    He added that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza can have “potentially irreversible implications for Palestinians as a whole and for peace and security in the region.”

    UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric explained that the move has been taken “given the scale of the loss of human life in Gaza and Israel, in such a short amount of time.”

    He described the use of Article 99 as a “dramatic constitutional move” made by Guterres in the hope that it would put more pressure on the Council – and the international community at large – to demand a ceasefire between the warring parties.

    “I think it’s arguably the most important invocation”, Dujarric told reporters at UN Headquarters, “in my opinion, the most powerful tool that he [the Secretary-General] has.”

  • What’s happening in your city this weekend?

    What’s happening in your city this weekend?

    Explore the lively spirit of Karachi with Jalebi Express’s Mix Plate City Tour, a Sunday morning ride on the iconic W-11 Karachi Mini Bus. From 8:30 am to 1:30 pm, discover the city’s rich culture, blending old and new aspects. Experience the charm and diversity of Karachi with Jalebi Express – turning every Sunday into an adventure!

    Mark your calendar for a night full of laughter as comedian Hashim takes the stage at Cafe Forex (Lahore) on December 9th. From 7 to 9 PM, join in for continuous comedy, promising an evening of hearty laughs with friends and family. Don’t miss this chance to relax and enjoy a Comedy Night that will leave you in stitches!

    Join us for an unforgettable day at BazaarFest 2.0, a unique event on December 9th, 2023, at Lahore Fort. Experience cultural fusion and futuristic fun with live performances, rhythmic dhamaal, futuristic light shows, food stalls, family-friendly shopping, and much more from 3:00 pm to 12:00 am. Don’t miss the Faris Shafi concert, Baeyyet dance, open mic sessions, pottery workshop, live graffiti, and experiential rooms!

    Support over 150 home-based women entrepreneurs at the Islamabad Women Gala on December 9th and 10th, 11 am to 9 pm, at Pakistan China Friendship Centre. Enjoy a vibrant family atmosphere with a kids’ arena, interactive activities, food court, magical show, Christmas corner, and a craft corner promoting inclusion and religious harmony. Join them for a festive and empowering experience!

  • Return of illegal foreigners to their country beneficial for Pakistan, says Gen. Asim Munir

    Return of illegal foreigners to their country beneficial for Pakistan, says Gen. Asim Munir

    Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir said on Thursday that the presence of illegal foreigners in the country is “seriously affecting” its security and economy, adding that the decision to send illegal foreigners to their home country is beneficial for Pakistan.

    According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army chief passed the remarks during a visit to Peshawar, where he briefly explained the security situation, ongoing counter-terrorism operations, and the return of undocumented foreign nationals.

    “Decision to repatriate them has been taken by the government in the interest of Pakistan,” General Asim said, as quoted by the military’s media wing.

    The army chief also mentioned that all the illegal immigrants are being sent to their home country in a “humane and dignified manner.”

    According to the Interior Ministry, almost 255,029 illegal foreigners have left for Afghanistan from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

    On his visit to Peshawar, Gen. Munir interacted with soldiers and officers, and he said while addressing them that “The nation takes pride and acknowledges the accomplishments of its Armed Forces. Pakistan is destined to succeed and the Pakistan Army will continue to undertake its selfless and sacred duty of safeguarding every inch of the motherland till the last drop of blood, InshaAllah.”

  • Taliban Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani among thousands of Afghans holding Pakistani passport

    Taliban Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani among thousands of Afghans holding Pakistani passport

    The News has uncovered, through Ministry of Interior sources, that the name of Afghanistan’s Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani is among the list of thousands of Afghan citizens who had Pakistani passports until recently.

    Sirajuddin Haqqani was issued a Pakistani passport for five years, which he used to visit many countries; including Qatar where he negotiated with the American government, which led to the Doha Agreement and the withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan.

    Two officials who issued passports to Haqqani have been arrested, one of whom had retired from service when the proceedings against him began.

    An official acquainted with the record-cleansing operation said 30,000 to 40,000 passports issued to Afghan nationals have been blocked.

    Passport offices in various cities issued passports to Afghan citizens, including Karachi and Thatta in Sindh. Without naming the cities of Balochistan and KP, the official said that passport offices established in different cities have also been found involved in the matter.

    Geo reports that Haqqani’s case was unveiled when a Peshawar-based journalist was on the same flight that Haqqani took to Doha. At the immigration counter, Haqqani had shown a Pakistani passport as his travel document. The aforementioned journalist was surprised to see him with that passport. But it was in August this year when the journalist drew the attention of the passport authorities in Pakistan about what he witnessed during a discussion. The information proved to be correct.

    An inquiry was then conducted into the matter which revealed that the passport was issued from Peshawar during the PTI regime.

    The passport-issuing officer said he was contacted by a man who identified himself as a senior military official from an intelligence agency and asked to issue a travel document for Haqqani.

    When the passport officer was asked to find out the identity of the army officer, he said that he was not sure who the man actually was as he had given instructions over the phone. After that, departmental action was initiated against the passport officer and also against the employee who had printed the passport.

    Reportedly both the persons are in jail. This is also confirmed by the information received from Saudi authorities.

    Initially, the Saudi authorities raised the issue with the government of Pakistan that Afghan citizens have obtained Pakistani passports to get jobs in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi government provided copies of passports, and as the government took notice of the case, it was found that the number of such cases is, in fact, more than 12,000. The passports of these individuals were revoked and those found to have used forged documents were deported to Afghanistan.

  • ‘No justification for attacking innocent people’: Malala calls for ceasefire in interview with Shahzeb Khanzada

    ‘No justification for attacking innocent people’: Malala calls for ceasefire in interview with Shahzeb Khanzada

    Nobel Prize winner and activist Malala Yousafzai was a guest on GEO’s ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath’ where she spoke at length about why she stressed on the need to address the gender apartheid in Afghanistan, adding that a ceasefire in Gaza should be demanded by everyone.

    Speaking to host Shahzeb Khanzada, Malala said she has consistently called for a ceasefire since the last month because targeting innocent people cannot be justified.

    “There is no explanation for attacking innocent people. So many children have been killed and families have become homeless because of the attack,” stressed the girls education activist. “I’m worried that there isn’t a lot of pressure right now to stop the war.”

    Malala urged audiences to pressurise their leaders to call for the UN to insert global pressure on Israel to stop the genocide.

    On Tuesday, Malala was the target of outrage when during a 15 minute speech at the Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture, she did not call out Israel for being an apartheid state because of the ongoing Gaza genocide which has now claimed more than 20,000 lives.

    READ MORE: ‘Massive dissapointment’: Malala’s failure to mention genocide in Gaza during lecture has Twitter angry

    Malala also spoke on the show about the Nelson Mandela event where she was the key note speaker, discussing the gender apartheid in Afghanistan, where women and girls face oppression from the Taliban.

    “When I got the opportunity to speak at the Nelson Mandela event, it was important for me to speak about the gender apartheid we’re witnessing today in Afghanistan against women and girls. We can call this situation an apartheid because women and girls are being oppressed and are being deprived of their basic human rights. The state, which is responsible for protecting these women, is the one who is oppressing them.”

    Malala said her lecture addressed the world and the United Nations to urgently address this matter, and to reform the definition of apartheid to include gender in it, so the conversation keeps going forward. She said she will continue to push world leaders to reflect on how women in Afghanistan cannot study, go outside their homes or even visit a doctor without permission from a man.

    Malala also addressed the ongoing Afghan refugee crisis in Pakistan, calling it a “cruel decision” to send young Afghan girls back to a country where they would never be allowed to study again.

    “This is a difficult time for many Afghan families who are being forcefully sent back to Afghanistan. Several of them escaped in 2021 because of the threat of the Taliban’s rise, and among them are several feminist activists whose lives are under threat if they went back. Some of these families had stayed in Afghanistan for 20 to 30 years, and have girls who were studying in schools…I am extremely worried for these girls because she will never be able to see a school if she is sent back to Afghanistan.”

    Malala slammed the government decision as against our “human rights, culture and religion’. She pointed out that in Islam, Muslims are urged to take care of others. The activist urged Pakistani authorities to revoke the decision and give support to Afghan refugees, to prevent little girls from going back to a country which would rob them of their rights.

  • Another day, another fire; Blaze in Karachi’s Arshi mall claims three lives

    Another day, another fire; Blaze in Karachi’s Arshi mall claims three lives

    A powerful fire broke out in the Arshi shopping mall in Karachi’s Ayesha Manzil area on Wednesday evening, leaving three people dead and two injured.

    The six-storeyed building, consisted of two commercial floors (ground and mezzanine), while the remaining four were residential.

    Several people trapped in the residential floors of the building above the shops were rescued but lost their belongings to the inferno. The fire was so intense that clouds of black smoke could be seen from many kilometres away.

    Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab confirmed the tragic loss of three lives in the devastating fire at Arshi Mall. Two people who sustained burn injuries are under treatment. He also went to the spot to monitor rescue efforts late at night.


    K-Electric cut off the electricity supply to the area to avoid further damage. They also participated in rescue efforts.


    The fire severely impacted approximately 100 shops, warehouses, and 450 flats.


    Shopkeepers have stated that their entire stock had been burned to the ground. They demanded financial compensation from the government for their losses.


    The fire erupted around 5:47pm.


    It originated in a clothes shop and rapidly spread to neighbouring stores selling foam and furniture.


    The Director of Rescue 1122 stated that approximately 300 individuals have been evacuated from the building.


    This is the second fire in 12 days in Karachi and probably not the last as experts say more than 90 per cent of the industries, residential buildings, and structures in Karachi, which is the largest industrial hub in Pakistan, lack fire safety arrangements as building codes were not being implemented by the authorities concerned, reported Geo.

  • PSL season 9; how many foreign players have registered so far?

    PSL season 9; how many foreign players have registered so far?

    Four hundred and eighty-five international players from 22 countries have registered for the PSL Player Draft 2024 to be held on December 13 at the National Cricket Academy, Lahore. 46 players are in the platinum category while 76 players are in the diamond category.

    The roster of foreign players for the draft has been bolstered by the presence of England’s David Malan and South Africa’s Reza Hendricks, both of whom are in the top 10 of the ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings for batsmen. Top 15 T20 batsman Riley Russo was earlier traded by Multan Sultans to Quetta Gladiators.

    Sri Lankan spinner Mahesh Thekshana, Afghanistan duo Fazal Haq Farooqui and Mujeeb ur Rehman, and West Indies left-arm spinner Aqeel Hussain have made themselves available for the draft. All-rounder Mohammad Nabi, ranked 12th in the T20 rankings, is also part of the draft.

    The maximum number of players registered from a foreign country is from England which is 158. Next in the list are West Indies (58), Sri Lanka (40), Afghanistan (36), South Africa (30), Bangladesh (21), New Zealand (18), Australia (16). Zimbabwe (11) and Ireland (9), associate member countries, have also registered a significant number of players.

    Some of the prominent players in the platinum category include Daniel Sams, Ashton Agar (both from Australia), Fazlul Haq Farooqui, Mujeebur Rahman, Noor Ahmed, Rehmanullah Garbaz (all from Afghanistan), Ben Duckett, Chris Jordan, David Willey, David Mallan, Luke Wood, Reece Topley, Tom Curran, Taymil Mills (England), Sandeep Lamchane (Nepal), James Neesham (New Zealand), Rasi van der Dusen, Imran Tahir (South Africa), Mahesh Theekshana, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasan Shanaka (Sri Lanka), Kieron Pollard, Rowman Powell, Romario Shepherd, Brendan King and Kyle Mears (West Indies).

    Among the players featured in the diamond category are Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi (both Afghanistan), Ben McDermott (Australia), Liton Das, Mehdi Hasan Miraz, Mahmudullah (all Bangladesh), Dan Lawrence, Gus Atkinson, Jordan Cox, Liam Dawson. , Matthew Potts, Ollie Pope, Richard Gleeson, Sam Hein (all England), Tim Seifert, Martin Guptill, Chad Bowes (all New Zealand), George Linde, Lungi Nigidi, Reza Hendricks, Wayne Parnell, Cesinda Megala (all South Africa) , Dilshan Madhushanka, Charith Asalinka, Dushmanatha Chamera, Sadera Samarawickrama (all Sri Lanka), Fabian Allen, Johnson Charles, Raheem Cornwall, Ruston Chase, Shai Hope, Hayden Walsh (all West Indies).