Current Final

Author: News Desk

  • HEC withdraws notification banning Holi

    The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has withdrawn a controversial ban on Holi celebrations in universities.

    A notification issued by HEC on Thursday stated that the commission is respectful of faith, religions, beliefs and the festivals associated with them.


    “Considering that the message inferred from the communication has regrettably led to misinterpretation, HEC is pleased to inform the same,” the notification added.

    On Tuesday, the Commission caused outrage when it banned Holi celebrations in educational institutes throughout the country, citing a deviation from the sociocultural values and Islamic identity of Pakistan.


    The notification read that students are prohibited from observing the festival to uphold sociocultural values.

    On Wednesday night, Salman Sufi, the head of Prime Minister’s Strategic Reform Unit, said in a tweet that HEC has been asked to withdraw the notification about banning Holi in universities.

    He wrote that he had spoken to Rana Tanveer Hussain, adding that he has asked HEC them to withdraw it.

    The decision came a few days after Holi celebrations were held on June 12 by students at Quaid-i-Azam University.

  • PM Shehbaz urges IMF to release stalled funds, assures compliance with conditions

    PM Shehbaz urges IMF to release stalled funds, assures compliance with conditions

    On Thursday, Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif had a meeting with Kristalina Georgieva, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), where he urged the lender to release the stalled funds for Pakistan. He assured the IMF of Pakistan’s compliance with all the conditions set by the lender.

    The meeting took place during the Summit for a New Global Financial Pact held in Paris, emphasising Pakistan’s commitment to fulfilling its promises.

    During the meeting, the two leaders discussed the ongoing programmes and cooperation between Pakistan and the IMF. The prime minister briefed Georgieva on Pakistan’s economic outlook, highlighting the government’s efforts for economic growth and stability.

    He emphasised that all the necessary actions for the 9th review under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) had been completed, and Pakistan was fully dedicated to meeting its obligations as agreed with the IMF.

    The prime minister expressed his hope for the timely release of the funds allocated under the EFF, as it would contribute to Pakistan’s ongoing efforts in economic stabilisation and provide relief to the people.

    Georgieva shared the IMF’s perspective on the ongoing review process and acknowledged the meeting as an opportunity to assess the progress made in that context.

    It is crucial to note that Pakistan’s currency reserves are currently sufficient to cover only one month’s worth of imports. The country had expected $1.1 billion of the funds to be released in November, but the IMF has imposed certain conditions before making further disbursements.

    With only one IMF board review remaining before the end of the $6.5 billion EFF programme, Pakistan is expected to present a budget aligned with the programme objectives, restore proper functioning of the foreign exchange market, and bridge the $6 billion gap before the board review.

  • ‘Stop’: Twitter in no mood to accept Kanwal Aftab’s justifications of domestic violence statement

    ‘Stop’: Twitter in no mood to accept Kanwal Aftab’s justifications of domestic violence statement

    Tiktoker and Instagram influencer Kanwal Aftab was slammed by social media yesterday when during a Q & A on Instagram, the social media star was asked about advice regarding women coping with domestic violence, to which she had responded by saying more women should try to save their marriages and console their husbands rather than seek divorce.

    Founder of Soul Sisters, Kanwal Ahmed, criticised Aftab for encouraging women to fix their abusive husbands by laying the blame of a broken marriage on them.

    After backlash to her statement, Aftab had now uploaded a video where she explained that she was not trying to tell women to endure domestic violence, but was encouraging them to try and work through anger rather than begin demanding divorces.

    After this video, Aftab wrote in an Instagram story that she was deleting the reel, stating she was not promoting or supporting domestic violence.

    Twitter users shared the video on the platform, and criticised the Tiktok star for not understanding the difference between an argument and domestic violence. Couples can have small arguments, and it is perfectly okay to encourage people to work through misunderstandings to overcome them. But domestic violence is a completely different issue, and no woman needs to stick around to endure it to keep her marriage inta

    ‘There is a huge, huge difference between domestic violence and badtameezi,” one user pointed out.

  • Sonya Hussyn will play an addict in her next drama

    Sonya Hussyn will play an addict in her next drama

    Actress Sonya Hussyn is setting up her career to be that of a thespian with the wide range of characters she has played on screen. In a post yesterday, she revealed that her next character, Murshid, is an addict, and debuted her look on Instagram.

    The drama’s name is “Gangs of Kharasaan”

    The actress also revealed that this character held a special place in her heart.

    “Addicts are humans too!!!! Meet “ MURSHID
    Unveiling the first look of my new project, Gang of Kharasaan!
    After playing horain in saraab, Murshid is another character that holds a special place in my heart “

    Hussyn had previously played a boxer from Lyari in the film ‘Daadal’ who set out to avenge her sister’s honor by becoming a contract killer.

    Since she debuted her look on Instagram, celebrities like Yumna Zaidi, Imran Ashraf Awan and Kinza Hashmi have showered praise on the actor’s commitment to completely alter her appearance to portray a character.

    “The most stunning girl,” actress Ushna Shah wrote. “Always picking off track roles that show off her acting chops. Beautiful, brave, and badass. I am SO proud of you.”

  • Hospitals’ negligence cause patient’s death

    Hospitals’ negligence cause patient’s death

    A fruit seller in critical condition has died in a private ambulance after four hospitals in Lahore, including Services and Ghulab Devi, allegedly refused treatment, Dawn reports.

    The patient, Iftikhar Ali, 57 years old and a father to seven children, had been in a road accident a few weeks back, fracturing his leg. He was taken to Mayo Hospital for surgery, where he had a rod fixed in his leg. 

    According to the family, Iftikhar experienced complications only a few days after being discharged from Mayo. He complained of severe pain in the leg and experiencing breathing issues. Pus was reportedly oozing out of the wound as well.

    When he was brought back, Mayo Hospital refused to admit Iftikhar and reportedly asked him to wait at home. One of the family members shared details of how a doctor suggested the family take Iftikhar to a private hospital in Lahore Cantt.

    The family alleges that they were carelessly referred from one hospital to the next. Iftikhar’s family explained he was admitted to a private hospital a week back where the patient underwent another surgery.

    During this time, the family sold household items to arrange Rs600,000 for the treatment. However, the hospital administration requested an additional Rs400,000, due to the ‘deposit having been drained’. 

    When the family demonstrated their inability to afford more than the stipulated amount, the hospital discharged the patient three days after admission. They suggested Iftikhar be taken to any government hospital for ‘free treatment’.

    Government hospitals Ghulab Devi and Services both denied Iftikhar admittance and treatment. At Ghulab Devi, doctors refused to admit the patient on the excuse that they visited the hospital “too late at night”, according to Iftikhar’s family.

    A similar fate was encountered at Services, where doctors allegedly paid no heed to the family’s repeated request for admission, being asked to revisit OPD (out-patient department) any other day.

    According to Dawn, the matter of denying treatment to the patient by public hospitals was in the knowledge of caretaker health minister Professor Javed Akram.

    He expressed his guilt for the alleged criminal negligence on the part of hospital staff, saying that he would take up the matter with the higher authorities.

  • Zaka Ashraf, likely new PCB Chairman, rejects hybrid model approved by ACC

    Zaka Ashraf, likely new PCB Chairman, rejects hybrid model approved by ACC

    Zaka Ashraf, the probable future Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), has rejected the Asia Cup Hybrid Model proposed by Najam Sethi and approved by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) with some amendments.

    All the controversies surrounding the matter of the Asia Cup appeared to have been resolved. However, Zaka Ashraf, likely the upcoming Chairman of the PCB, issued a statement on Wednesday while speaking to media in Islamabad, stating that the Hybrid Model is unfair to Pakistan and he has rejected it.

    “The first point is that I had rejected the hybrid model [for the Asia Cup] from the beginning because I disagree with it. The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) board had decided that the tournament should be held entirely in Pakistan. However, major matches are being held elsewhere, and only minor teams like Nepal will play in Pakistan. Injustice has been done to Pakistan,” said Zaka during a media interaction.

    “As the hosts, the entire event [Asia Cup] should take place in Pakistan.”

    Zaka Ashraf’s election to the top position in the PCB is expected since Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif appointed him as a member of the PCB Board of Governors. However, the election itself is yet to take place.

    “If weak teams like Nepal and Afghanistan are the only ones playing their matches in Pakistan, then I firmly believe that the Hybrid Model is disadvantageous for Pakistan. I will make changes to the Hybrid Model accordingly,” he added.

    “I am unaware of the decisions made by the previous management as I don’t have access to that information. I will go and see, and try to act in the best interest of Pakistan as quickly as possible,” he said.

    “There are many pending issues, but I am not delving deep into them since I haven’t officially taken over,” he added, expressing his intention to engage with the Indian leadership.

    As per reports cited in Indian media outlets, a senior board member of ACC ridiculed Zaka Ashraf’s statement while talking to Press Trust of India.
    “He is a free man (Zaka Ashraf) and can say whatever he wants. The statement shows his mentality. ACC approved Hybrid Model for Asia Cup and it will be held as per schedule. No further changes and amendments will take place further on this matter, the file is closed.”

    Previously, the management led by Najam Sethi was negotiating with the Secretary of the Indian board and ACC Chairman Jay Shah regarding the hosting rights of the Asia Cup 2023, which officially belonged to Pakistan. However, due to security concerns, BCCI and the Indian government dif not allow their team to travel to Pakistan. PCB then proposed two Hybrid Models. The first one was immediately rejected by broadcasters and the Indian Cricket Board. This model suggested that the Indian cricket team would play their matches at a neutral venue, which would be decided by the PCB, while the rest of the tournament would take place in Pakistan. The second Hybrid Model, proposed during the second meeting with official broadcasters (Star Sports) and Pankaj Khimji, Vice President of ACC, stated that the first four matches, excluding India’s matches, would be held in Pakistan, while the remainder of the tournament would be shifted to Dubai.

    However, the other cricket boards rejected Dubai or the UAE as the neutral venue, and a decision was made for Sri Lanka to co-host the tournament with Pakistan.

  • PTI issues notice to Khattak over ‘inciting’ members to leave the party

    PTI issues notice to Khattak over ‘inciting’ members to leave the party

    The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has issued a notice to former Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Pervaiz Khattak over allegedly asking party members to leave the party.
    Omar Ayub Khan, newly appointed General Secretary of PTI, issued a notice to Khattak to explain his position in writing within seven days.

    The show-cause notice reads, “It has come to the notice of the party leadership that you are contacting party members and inciting them to leave the party. In view of these reported activities, you are hereby called to explain yourself in writing within seven days of this notice.”

    It is also mentioned in the notice that if Khattak’s reply is found unsatisfactory or he doesn’t respond, further action will be taken according to party policy.

    Earlier, Asad Umar, former secretary-general of PTI, stirred a hornet’s nest by stating in an interview with ARY’s Kashif Abbasi that he does not agree with party Chairman Imran Khan’s strategies.

  • Blast in restaurant in China kills at least 31 people

    At least 31 people have been killed and seven injured on Wednesday as the result of a gas explosion at a restaurant in northwestern China. The blast was caused by a leaking liquefied petroleum gas tank.

    “A leak of liquefied petroleum gas … caused an explosion during the operation of a barbecue restaurant,” state news agency Xinhua said on Wednesday.
    The owner, shareholders, and staff of the restaurant were among the nine people who were detained by police after the explosion.

    According to media accounts, the BBQ restaurant in Yinchuan, the region’s capital, is very popular among locals. High school students and pensioners were among those killed in the explosion, which occurred during the busiest dining hours.

  • Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Cori Bush join Ilhan Omar in boycotting Modi’s Washington address 

    Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Cori Bush join Ilhan Omar in boycotting Modi’s Washington address 

    Congresswoman Cori Bush and member of the U.S. House of Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have joined Congresswoman Ilhan Omar in boycotting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Washington speech. 

    Both politicians announced their decision via Twitter. The development came shortly after Omar announced that she would be boycotting Modi’s speech, citing human rights abuse.

    Both Ocasio-Cortez and Bush have made their decision to boycott for the same reasons. In her statement on Twitter, Ocasio-Cortez pointed out how Modi had been denied a U.S. visa in 2005 due to his alleged complicity in the 2002 Gujarat riots. 

    She goes on to explain that a joint address to Congress is among the most prestigious invitations the U.S. can extend, and it should not be done so to individuals with a record of human rights violations. 

    Bush also alleges Modi’s history of committing human rights abuses, undermining democracy, and targeting journalists. 

    In February this year, BBC offices in India had been raided by tax department officials, just weeks after the release of a documentary revealing evidence of Modi’s responsibility in Gujarat riots. The documentary was later blocked by the government.

    Modi had been invited by top U.S. lawmakers to join Biden in a joint address to Congress on June 22nd. As China’s influence grows in the Indo-Pacific region, the U.S. is anxious to secure India’s cooperation as a counterbalance.

  • Child, 8, dies in hospital after brutal rape

    Child, 8, dies in hospital after brutal rape

    An eight-year-old boy, sexually assaulted by his madrassa teacher in the Raiwand area of Lahore, has died after struggling for life in the hospital.
    According to the police, Qari Rizwan allegedly raped eight-year-old Samar and threw the child down from a roof to hide the crime. The assault happened a few days ago.

    An FIR was filed on behalf of the child’s father, where he stated that his son Samar was studying in a madrassa. On June 7, Qari Rizwan brutalized the child and also tortured him. His right arm was broken. The man took the child to the roof and threw him from there, causing severe brain injuries.
    The police registered a case and arrested Qari Rizwan. During the investigation, the accused confessed to his crime.