Current Final

Author: News Desk

  • Suspect handed over to police by SHC for murdering his teenager wife

    Suspect handed over to police by SHC for murdering his teenager wife

    Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday rejected a suspect’s plea for pre-arrest bail in a case pertaining to the murder of his teenaged wife.

    He was handed over to the police.

    In an Instagram post, Pakistani civil rights activist and lawyer Mohammad Jibran Nasir shared that the suspect Hassan is finally in police custody almost a year after brutally murdering 19-year-old Hifza. The suspect strangled his wife and then hung her body by the ceiling fan to make it look like suicide.

    Nasir further stated that two days before her murder, Hifza on a recorded phone call, complained to her brother-in-law about being subjected to sexual violence, beatings and abuse by the suspect.

    The suspect runs a madrassah, along with his father who is co-accused in the murder case. The lawyer pinpointed that they lived in the upper portion of the madrassah where the murder was committed.

    Nasir admired the efforts made by the victim’s mother Farzana, saying it was her struggle for justice that led to the culprit’s arrest.

    In the video posted by him, police can be seen taking the suspect away while the mother of the victim tells him that he is an imposter not a mullah, “I had married my daughter to you because of your religious status, but you are a phony.” In response, the suspect threatened her that “You will be next.”

  • Russian officials urged to abandon iPhones over spying concerns

    Russian officials urged to abandon iPhones over spying concerns

    Russian officials have been advised to stop using iPhones due to unverified accusations made by the country’s intelligence service.

    The Financial Times reported that, commencing July 17, employees within Russia’s trade ministry will be prohibited from utilising iPhones during work hours. Other ministries, including one currently undisclosed, are reportedly planning to follow suit, along with the state oil company, Rostec.

    The decision to distance themselves from Apple products initially emerged in March when the Kremlin instructed officials to abandon the use of these devices due to concerns surrounding potential vulnerabilities exploited by US hackers.

    Subsequently, in June, the Russian government accused Apple of collaborating with US intelligence agencies, an allegation firmly refuted by the company.

    The accusation stemmed from a report by a cybersecurity firm, asserting that iPhones running outdated versions of iOS had been infected with malware, rendering them susceptible to eavesdropping, as reported by The Washington Post.

    Despite the claims made by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), no substantiating evidence has been presented, and independent security experts have found no indication that Apple has incorporated any form of “backdoor” exemption into the device’s encryption.

    This is not to imply that no genuine security vulnerabilities exist. Following Russia’s allegations, Apple swiftly responded by releasing software patches for its iOS system, acknowledging the role played by researchers at the Moscow-based Kaspersky Lab in identifying these weaknesses.

    It is worth noting that the ban on official usage will not impact the general public. Apple withdrew from the Russian market in the wake of last year’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Nonetheless, Apple products continue to be imported from other countries.

    The iPhone 14 is listed by MTS, Russia’s largest cellphone provider, with a price tag slightly exceeding $1,200, while a comparable model retails for $999 in the United States.

  • Iran’s ‘morality police’ back in action 10 months after nationwide protests 

    Iran’s ‘morality police’ back in action 10 months after nationwide protests 

    Iran’s notorious morality police have resumed patrolling the streets of the country, after policing efforts had been scaled back following nationwide protests that broke out across the country last year. 

    Following the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini while she was held in police custody, tens of thousands of Iranians took to the streets to protest, in what some analysts say was the ‘biggest challenge‘ posed against the government since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

    During the mass protests, which lasted for months, the morality police were largely absent from Iranian streets, refraining from highly confrontational methods of enforcing mandatory hijab laws that were imposed shortly after the ‘79 revolution. There were even some reports – later denied – that they had been disbanded.

    The protests largely died down earlier this year, after a brutal crackdown in which more than 500 protestors were killed and nearly 20,000 detained by authorities. 

    Saeid Montazeralmahdi, the spokesperson for the Iranian law enforcement force, confirmed on Sunday that police patrols were now operational on foot and with vehicles to crack down on people whose head covering is not deemed appropriate in the Islamic Republic, according to Al-Jazeera.

    The Guardian reported that in Tehran, morality police has been seen patrolling the streets in marked vans.

    For the past few months, morality police have also been employing surveillance cameras with face-recognition software to identify hijab violators. The violators are given warnings, fines, or sent to appear in court.

    Mahsa Amini was detained last year on September 13th, on accounts of violating the draconian dress code law the Iranian government has in place, which mandates women wearing the hijab. According to authorities, Mahsa Amini was not wearing her hijab ‘properly’.

    Witnesses reported that she was beaten by morality police after her arrest in Tehran. The morality police maintain that Mahsa Amini suffered a heart attack and died. 

    Demonstrators initially gathered outside Kasra hospital in Tehran, where Amini was being treated. Human rights groups reported that security forces deployed pepper spray against protesters and that several were arrested.

    This year alone, there have been many high-profile hijab related incidents, including an incident in Mashadd, where a man dumped yoghurt on two women for not wearing the hijab properly. All three parties were arrested by authorities.

  • PTI should also be taken into confidence over electoral reforms: Shah Mahmood Qureshi

    PTI should also be taken into confidence over electoral reforms: Shah Mahmood Qureshi

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice-Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said on Monday that his party was not being taken into confidence over electoral reforms, emphasizing that PTI is an important stakeholder.

    In a media talk, he said that “Section 9 of the Election Act 2017 is very vague.”
    Criticising the leading government coalition party, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Qureshi said the party is suffering from instability.
    “The PTI chairman and former Prime Minister Imran Khan has gotten relief from the courts despite the fact that the government is fabricating cases against him,” he said.
    Speaking on the matter of dissolving the National Assembly, Quershi remarked: “It seems that the government is leaning towards 90-day elections. However, the date of the election has to be been given by the Election Commission of Pakistan.”

  • FIA report reveals fake LLB students

    FIA report reveals fake LLB students

    Nearly 4000 students from affiliated law colleges of Bahauddin Zakariya University (BZU) in Multan are suspected of being “non-genuine”, according to a  Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) report.

    The FIA submitted the report to the Supreme Court on Monday, which disclosed that 3,997 individuals allegedly attempted to sit the LLB exam without ever attending classes.

    According to Dawn, the FIA, along with officials from the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) and the Higher Education Commission (HEC), constituted a joint investigation team (JIT) to question BZU officials and law college owners as ordered by the Supreme Court.

    The team examined BZU’s records and found that 3,997 students were suspected of being non-genuine. An additional 2,230 students are currently under investigation, but no adverse findings have been reported thus far.

    The JIT recommended taking legal action against the BZU officials and law colleges involved in the alleged fraud. It also called for improvements in the system of affiliating law colleges, registering students, collecting fees, and monitoring attendance to prevent future scams.

  • Orangi Town trolls Mayor of Karachi for claiming Jahangir Road storm water drainage has been completed

    Orangi Town trolls Mayor of Karachi for claiming Jahangir Road storm water drainage has been completed

    On Saturday, the Mayor of Karachi, Murtaza Wahab, published a tweet claiming that work on the storm water drain of Jahangir Road had been completed, and now contractors are beginning the construction phase of the road itself. 

    However, the tweet read that road work would not be finalised and that the storm water train would be ‘tested’ during the oncoming expected rain before a final binder takes place.

    It didn’t take long for the Orangi Town Twitter to clap back with its response: “It’s time to do the test, why is Murtaza bhai making a fool of the public? Now when this road sinks, you’ll say we were only testing it.” 

    Many Twitter users chimed in with similar opinions.

    One account tweeted, “Testing the drainage or [testing] public patience? This road has been in poor condition for ages. But now you have the plausible deniability, have to give it to you.”

    Another one added, “I hope the root of issue was solved or else it will be the same after a month just like at NIPA, where you posted pictures too.”

    https://twitter.com/mahnoorsiddequi/status/1680182128468713472?s=20

    Jahangir Road has for years been subject to terrible conditions, with poor drainage systems leading water to inundate the 1.5 kilometre long road, triggering terrible congestion as well as accidents. 

    Many residents complain that Jahangir Road is practically inundated the entire year, according to Geo News.

  • ‘I’m the one who wrote this, not you’: Shiraz Uppal calls out Aima Baig for misinformation

    ‘I’m the one who wrote this, not you’: Shiraz Uppal calls out Aima Baig for misinformation

    Aima Baig recently gave an interview to Dawn Images where she spoke about the creative process behind her new song ‘Funkari’. Speaking on how the the song was created, the singer revealed:

    “It took us like three years to make this song and I’m not joking, I’m not kidding… and the reason why because the song was made but I was too scared to let a solo single out. Because in these past six years of my career, I have never released a solo track on which I had worked on my own day and night. I had never made a song like this. This is the first track where three years ago during Ramzan we had started writing this song together. Shakeel bhai, may he rest in peace, this was the last song he had written with me ‘Funkari’ and then after that he died.”

    However, Pakistani singer and songwriter Shiraz Uppal took to Instagram to call out Baig for spreading misinformation, revealing that it was not Baig and Shakeel Sohail who wrote the song, but it was him, pointing out that Youtube credits mention him as the writer and composer of the song.

    Taking to Instagram stories, Uppal slammed Images and Aima Baig for misquoting and spreading misinformation

    “Recent statement given by Aima Baig to Dawn Images about the fact that she and (late) Shakeel Sohial has written a song Funkari, has been misquoted by her. She forgot to give due credit that already mentioned by Universal Music India in her youtube credits.”

    Uppal pointed out that the late lyricist passed away six months prior to when the song was written, and had only written ‘Faraq Faraq” for Aima:

    “Get your facts right lady. Shakeel Sohail passed away 6 months prior to writing this song and the last he co-wrote with me was another single for you named ‘Faraq Faraq’. So Funkari was written, composed and produced by me and you just came to sing it that only took three hours.

    Dear dawn_images,- kindly double check facts before posting false statements.”

  • IMF wants Pakistan to implement property and agriculture tax

    IMF wants Pakistan to implement property and agriculture tax

    The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has recently granted Pakistan a $3 billion loan, subject to certain conditions that require a second review.

    According to reports, the Washington-based institution has asked the Pakistani government to devise a plan for implementing taxes on the real estate and agricultural sectors, with the aim of bolstering the country’s revenue generation.

    The IMF perceives a potential for Pakistan to enhance its revenue through taxation of these two sectors.

    Should the plan devised by the Federal Bureau of Revenue (FBR) gain approval from the IMF, it will result in the release of a mini-budget. However, the decision to impose taxes on the property and agriculture sectors ultimately rests with the new government.

    Additionally, sources indicate that assistance will be sought from the World Bank to facilitate the taxation of these sectors.

    It is worth noting that Pakistan recently received the initial disbursement of $1.2 billion from the IMF.

    IMF officials emphasise that Pakistan must fulfill the conditions outlined in the agreement to achieve economic stability.

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has also assured the IMF Managing Director of the government’s commitment to implementing the agreement in its entirety.

  • Afghan Taliban’s Doha deal statement ‘disturbing’ for Pakistani leaders

    Afghan Taliban’s Doha deal statement ‘disturbing’ for Pakistani leaders

    A statement made by Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid, stating that the Afghan rulers signed the Doha deal with USA and not Pakistan, has proved worrisome for Islamabad.

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Farhatullah Baba expressed concern, while
    Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, a stalwart of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), also agreed with the concerns of the PPP leader.
    In an interview with BBC Pashto, the Taliban spokesperson had stressed that they didn’t sign a peace accord with Islamabad. However, he also mentioned that Afghan soil was not being used for terrorism in Pakistan, as the nation was “a Muslim and brother country”.
    “Taliban signed the Doha agreement with the US, not with Pakistan and its policy towards Pakistan is different.”


    Last week, in an unusual statement, Pakistan Army said that it is also very concerned that militants of the banned terrorist organisation Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have found safe havens in Afghanistan. “It is expected that in­terim Afghan Govern­ment would not allow the use of its soil to per­petrate terror against any country, in the real sense and in line with commitments made in Doha Agreement,” the statement said.
    Pakistan Army also said that terrorist attacks in Pakistan are intolerable and the country’s security forces have the ability to give effective response to these attacks.

    Farhatullah Babar raised the question that, “Does it mean the Doha agreement binds the Taliban to rein in only some militants, not all?”
    Khawaja Asif meanwhile said that irrespective of Afghanistan stance, Pakistan will wipe out terrorism from the country.

  • Police arrest suspect behind rape at Islamabad’s Margalla hill hiking trail 

    Police arrest suspect behind rape at Islamabad’s Margalla hill hiking trail 

    Islamabad police have on Sunday arrested the suspect involved in the alleged rape of a woman that took place on trail 3 of the capital’s Margalla Hills.

    Last week Friday, the Islamabad police registered a first information report (FIR) after a woman complained that a man had lured her with a job prospect before raping her at gunpoint on Thursday afternoon. 

    According to the FIR, the complainant had been looking for a job and received a message via WhatsApp from a person around two months ago, Dawn reports.

    “He told me he was an accountant in the education department, where some vacancies were available,” the victim is quoted as saying in the FIR. In return for a job, the man asked for Rs50,000. 

    After some correspondence, where the victim met the suspect and provided him with her curriculum vitae and Rs30,000, saying she would pay the remaining 20,000 once she received a written order of employment.

    Under the guise of picking up the victim for a job interview, the suspect drove her to Margalla Hills’ trail 3, where the victim said she was taken to the jungle and raped at gunpoint around 3pm. 

    In a statement issued on Sunday, the Islamabad Police said it was successful in arresting the suspect after a three-day effort, adding that they arrested the man on ‘technical bases’, claiming the victim was not assisting the police in the investigation. 

    Statement issued by Islamabad Police via Twitter.

    Moreover, they said that the investigation is taking place ‘on merit’, citing the victim’s medical report in which apparently no evidence of abuse was found. 

    Furthermore, the statement reveals the complainant and the accused knew each other. However, Islamabad Police asserted that all aspects of the case will be investigated.