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Author: News Desk

  • Babar Azam all set to receive Sitara e Imtiaz on 23rd March

    Babar Azam all set to receive Sitara e Imtiaz on 23rd March

    Pakistan’s men cricket team captain and top run scorer in the PSL Season 8, Babar Azam, will be awarded the country’s third biggest civilian award Sitara-e-Imtiaz on March 23.

    Babar Azam will be the youngest player to get the coveted award. At just 28 years of age, Babar Azam is the top run scorer in the latest PSL edition with 519 runs and also Pakistan’s top run scorer.
    Previously, former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed held the record as the youngest person to be awarded the prestigious award.

    Sarfaraz, who led Pakistan to the Champions Trophy title in 2017, was given the award by then Sindh Governor Mohammad Zubair at the Governor House in Karachi in 2018.

    Last year on August 14, the government announced that it will be conferring Babar with the country’s third-highest civilian honour.

    The star batter will be taking a break from cricket to attend the ceremony, as he will not be participating in the series against Afghanistan, which is scheduled to start on March 24.

    Babar Azam is not the only cricketer to get Sitara-e-Imtiaz, as many more including former captains Misbah ul Haq, Shahid Afridi and Younis Khan have received the award.

    Mohammad Yousuf received the award in 2011, Saeed Ajmal in 2015, Inzamam ul Haq in 2005 and Javed Miandad in 1992.

  • ‘We need more men like him’: Writer behind ‘Mujhe Pyar Hua Tha’ revealed why she wrote Saad as a non-toxic character

    Saad from the drama ‘Mujhe Pyar Hua Tha’ has won the nation’s heart for breaking stereotypes that are associated with the toxic male lead in Pakistani dramas, and being an attentive husband and care giver to the female lead, Maheer (played by Hania Amir).
    Twitter users have praised Wahaj Ali for brilliantly portraying the sensitive and caring Saad, and how at every step he has remained a character who was fearlessly devoted to his wife, and was a dedicated son to his parents.

    https://twitter.com/Kamforsure/status/1635305041585381376?s=20

    The writer behind the iconic drama, Sidra Sahar Imran, gave an interview to Fuchsia magazine where she opened up about the character of Saad, and why she felt that it was important to address the toxic double standards in our society that shame men for showing emotions or for being ‘kind-hearted’:

    “I had observed that often romance novels will depict the girl as the sati savitri who will sacrifice all that she has, but I used to think that men also exist in our society why can’t we depict them the same way?”

    Looking at the feedback Saad’s character was receiving, Imran said that most people were shocked.

    “I can see that mostly people are shocked that a man like Saad is acting this way. Because we are so used to men not being able to tolerate a lot of abuse. Our society cannot understand the fact that men should be sensitive and soft-spoken, since we are used to the standards telling them to be tough and loud. In our male-dominant society, we encourage men that to be a real man, they need to be aggressive and out-spoken to prove their worth. But there are a lot of men like Saad out there and I wanted to write a character like him.”

    Imran also revealed that there was a way she could have catered to these expectations after Maheer and Saad’s marriage, and demonstrate his anger and possessiveness but she refused:

    “I didn’t want my character to act in this manner, after coming a long way. He will not cater to such toxic standards about what a real man is.”

  • Energy ministry announces uninterrupted power supply during sehr, iftar and taraweeh in Ramzan

    Energy ministry announces uninterrupted power supply during sehr, iftar and taraweeh in Ramzan

    The Ministry of Energy announced on Wednesday that no loadshedding will take place during sehr, iftar and taraweeh in the holy month of Ramzan, in accordance with the instructions of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

    The Prime Minister has directed for an uninterrupted supply of electricity during Ramzan, and the ministry has subsequently issued directives to power distribution companies to ensure this.

    The ministry has requested that DISCOS ensure the supply of electricity during sehr, iftar, and taraweeh, with zero load management an hour before and after sehr, and one hour before iftar and three hours after.

    According to Geo, control rooms will be established at the operation circle level to guarantee an uninterrupted supply of power. Additionally, special teams have been formed to address grievances at division and sub-division levels.

    In the event of transformer failure, additional transformers and trolleys will be made available. Today (Wednesday), the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee will convene in Peshawar for the sighting of the Ramzan ul Mubarak 1444 AH moon.

  • What was happening when the earthquake came in Pakistan?

    What was happening when the earthquake came in Pakistan?

    A powerful 6.8 magnitude earthquake jolted parts of Pakistan on Tuesday night.

    The epicentre of the earthquake was Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush region, while its depth was 180 kilometres, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).

    According to reports, tremors were felt in Islamabad, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Lahore, DI Khan, Swabi, Bahawalpur, Quetta, Parachinar, Skardu and other cities of the country. 

    The tremors continued for 30 seconds, and people came out of their homes in panic.

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif ordered the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and other institutions to be ready to deal with any emergency.

    Below are scenes as to what was happening in different parts of the country when the earthquake came in Pakistan.

  • A couple got married during Taylor Swift’s concert

    Taylor Swift being the icon and queen she is, has curated a safe space in her concerts for everyone to dance and cry to her music, and now it is even permissible to get married during her shows.

    A clip of one of her concerts held in Glendale on March 18 went viral on social media. A couple were seen getting married during the ‘Seven’ spoken version.

    Speaking to Rolling Stone, the bride René Hurtado revealed the reason why she and her husband, Max Bochman, had chosen to get married during Swift’s concert:

    “It was really thrilling and exciting. I’m so glad that we did it. It was really special, and the timing during the concert was so beautiful.”

    On the reason why they chose to recite their wedding vows during “Seven”, Hurtado revealed that it was quite a significant song for them:

    “We pretty much had the best seat in the house, she added. “It was a really wonderful experience. Our section was so supportive and sweet to us when they saw what we were doing.”

    Since the past two days, Taylor’s concerts have featured all kinds of spectacular moments which only prove that she is breaking global records of the most highly rated tour anyone has ever witnessed.

    At the first concert, which was held in Glendale on 17th March, during the performance of Love Story, a couple went viral for getting engaged during the iconic bridge of the song.

    Another moment showed a guest service employee dancing to ‘Blank Space’ along with the rest of the audience.

    Us international Swifties can just sob into our pillows while watching livestreams, witnessing a powerful singer inspire other people to live their best moments in these wholesome ways.

  • Khan agrees to sit with rivals for ‘greater national consensus’

    Khan agrees to sit with rivals for ‘greater national consensus’

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has agreed to sit with rival political parties for “greater national consensus” on elections.

    To try and defuse political tensions in the country, a delegation of civil society members called on the former prime minister on Tuesday evening. Calling themselves “mediators”, the group convinced Khan to agree to talks.

    Speaking about the matter, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry said, “The civil society has spoken to Imran Khan and he has agreed to be part of the multi-party conference (MPC) to develop a consensus on the elections date and the process that leads to polls.”

    Speaking with Dawn, an individual who was part of the meeting said, “The civil society initiative and its acceptance by Imran Khan has come after some of the [party] leaders realised that the current confrontational strategy had the former ruling party in a bind.”

     “We are ready to talk to everyone for elections. We are peaceful people, with only one demand: hold elections,” said Pervaiz Khattak, former defence minister.

    The Pakistan Bar Council has agreed to host the MPC if “major political parties respond to this call”.

  • ‘Jahil’: Celebrities, activists slam Senator Afnan Ullah Khan for horrifying remarks about Mahira Khan, Anwar Maqsood

    Yesterday, a clip from a session named An Evening With Mahira Khan went viral on social media, featuring Anwar Maqsood. The renowned writer made a disparaging comment about two female Pakistan Muslim League -Nawaz (PML-N) leaders, Maryam Aurangzeb and Maryam Nawaz.

    In the clip, Khan was seen asking about two women who are fighting and shouting with each other, to which Maqsood responded that these women are Maryam Nawaz and Maryam Aurangzeb,

    “I am restricted from talking about politics, I can’t say anything about anyone. Hopefully the situation will get better soon. What you said about poisoning, abusing each other so I gave an example, it is also happening in real life. Also both are actors, not character actors.”

    This comment was rightfully criticized because of how it chose to directly target the female politicians through the same misogynist stereotypes Khan was condemning in her session. Twitter users also slammed Khan for her selective morality, urging the actor to reflect on the feminist morals she is presenting because repeatedly calling out misogynist slurs used to put down women, but in the same breath applauding this way of publicly targeting female politicians and humiliating them? Baffling.

    https://twitter.com/Bubbleskhanum/status/1637942268773519367?s=20

    “I don’t expect anything good from him, because he is a man, but it’s so baffling to see Mahira Khan applauding over this incitement of misogyny and sexism, she literally made a brand by capitalizing over feminism, but is not consious about how harmful this is for Pakistani women,” one user wrote.

    This is the proper manner of responding to an opinion you disagree with, by pointing out mistakes and urging the other person to reflect and correct themselves. Because after all, celebrities have a public platform through which they can influence other people to follow their actions.

    What is the most vile, awful way to counteract? By using abelist, abusive language and making personal remarks like the way Senator Afnan Ullah Khan did on Twitter

    “Mahira Khan has mental health problems and Anwar Maqsood has become a drunkard at this stage of life. Both of them are shameless characters and the public should condemn them for it. There are books written about Mahira Khan’s character, and she is known for even flattering Indian actors for the sake of money and Anwar Maqsood is filled with hatred at this point of his life,” wrote the PML-N senator on Twitter.

    To condemn a misogynist remark is the right of any politician, but to go even lower and make personal, completely distorted and abusive comments about someone is completely not acceptable.

    Targetting Khan and Maqsood with such awful comments from the politician whose party is currently ruling the country proves how deep misogyny runs in this country. Celebrities like Atiqa Odho and Farhan Saeed openly condemned these comments for showcasing Dr Ullah Khan’s misogynist state of mind.

    Farhan Saeed retweeted this comment and condemned the way free speech in Pakistan has been suppressed

    “This is the mentality that doesn’t let #Pakistan grow , this is what they do when someone just gives an opinion or has a political preference . They get personal so people stop giving their opinion . Senator ? Zuban jahilon wali,” he wrote.

    Odho shared a picture of both Khan and Maqsood on her Instagram account and in the caption she condemned the PML-N politician for using such foul language against two “hard working and committed people.”

    She wrote: “#AnwerMaqsood a living legend and mentor and #MahiraKhan our beloved star. Both shine where ever they go and leave others way behind. Shameful when anyone dares to say anything against such hard working and committed people as these are national treasurers. PMLN should expel the senator who behaved so poorly from their party at once to teach him a lesson and show their sincerity towards our iconic soft image ambassadors. Such acts must not go unnoticed as these are not political people and as citizens have a right to an opinion within a true democracy. Hope action is taken and a public apology is given by #PMLN !”

    Actor and writer Mira Sethi tweeted that these remarks are ‘utterly shameful’.

    https://twitter.com/sethimirajee/status/1638106602828865539?s=20

    Actor Iffat Omar, who is critical of Imran Khan, also condemned the tweet and tagged Maryam Nawaz, urging her to take action against the senator.

    The twitter account of Aurat March called out the Senate of Pakistan to teach their politicians to refrain from using such abusive, sexist language against their critics, especially when it is a woman involved.

  • Pakistan likely to receive economic assistance from friendly countries soon, says Minister Ahsan Iqbal

    Pakistan likely to receive economic assistance from friendly countries soon, says Minister Ahsan Iqbal

    On Tuesday, Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal announced that Pakistan is likely to receive confirmation of economic assistance from friendly countries in the coming days. This confirmation is the last condition of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and will be followed by a staff-level deal with the Fund.

    According to Iqbal, Pakistan has fulfilled nearly all conditions previously agreed upon with the IMF by the previous government. Currently, the Fund is requesting confirmation from the friendly countries providing assistance to Pakistan. Once received, the IMF deal will come on track.

    During the US-Pakistan Diaspora and Private Sector for Flood Recovery and Rehabilitation Conference, three Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were signed with a Pakistan-based US company and US-Pakistani diaspora entities, mobilizing $78 million. The conference was organized by the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

    When questioned about the IMF’s objection to the fuel subsidy announced by the government for the poor segment of society, Iqbal clarified that this was an internal adjustment within the fuel price and no new subsidy was being announced. He expressed hope that the IMF would have no objection to the government’s move.

    Iqbal urged the US-Pakistan Diaspora to support the government’s efforts in recovering and rehabilitating millions of flood-affected people. He appreciated the United States’ pledge of $200 million for flood relief efforts but emphasized that Pakistan needs much more for the complete rehabilitation of millions of people affected by floods.

    In his remarks, United States Ambassador Donald Blome highlighted the contributions of the US-Pakistani diaspora and private sector in building back better for flood-affected communities in Pakistan. He reaffirmed the US government’s commitment to supporting flood relief and recovery efforts, disaster resilience, and food security.

    The conference continued the momentum built at the previous conferences in Islamabad where USAID signed six MoUs mobilizing $75 million. The discussions held in those conferences led to additional contributions and investments to help populations and areas affected by floods. More than 200 participants attended the Building Back Better Conference, including members of the US-Pakistani diaspora, prominent local business leaders, US business representatives, and Pakistani officials. They discussed ways to help the flood-affected population and communities.

    Ambassador Blome emphasized the longstanding US-Pakistan partnership in advancing Pakistan’s economic growth and social and humanitarian causes. He highlighted the need to strengthen climate resilience through the US-Pakistan “Green Alliance” framework and expressed the United States’ commitment to helping the US-Pakistani diaspora and Pakistan-based private companies find opportunities to pursue energy transformation and foster economic growth and development outcomes.

  • Govt announces Rs5 billion Ramzan Relief Package for poor

    The government of Pakistan has unveiled a Ramzan Relief Package worth Rs5 billion to aid the poor during the holy month of Ramzan. Syed Murtaza Mahmud, Minister for Industries and Production, announced the package during a press conference, stating that the federal government’s first priority is to alleviate hardship and inflation for citizens.

    The package went into effect on March 21 and will run until the end of the holy month. In addition to the five basic food items already being provided at subsidized rates through the Utility Stores Corporation, the Prime Minister has expanded the relief package to include 19 subsidized items such as flour, sugar, ghee, cooking oil, tea, dates, besan, dal mash, dal mong, milk, drinks, and spices.

    The USC official also outlined two types of subsidies: targeted and general. Targeted subsidy is exclusively for users registered under the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP), while general subsidy is accessible to the entire country.

    For example, targeted subsidy flour is priced at Rs400 per 10 kg bag, sugar at Rs70 per kg and ghee at Rs300 per kg, while under general subsidy, a 10 kg bag of flour is available at Rs648, sugar at Rs91 per kg, and ghee at Rs490 per kg. The USC also provides a subsidy of Rs20 on white gram, super basmati rice, sella rice, and broken rice, Rs50 per kg on gram flour, and a 10% discount on spices. Tea, dates, milk, and beverages will also receive subsidies.

    The Prime Minister has also launched a free flour package in collaboration with the distribution points and utility stores established in different areas of Islamabad. Each registered household under BISP will receive one bag of 10 kg as a gift for the first time, and the remaining two bags will be received after 7 days.

    During the entire month of Ramzan, every registered household will receive three bags of flour (10 kg per bag) free of charge. To check eligibility, citizens can SMS their National Identity Card to 8171 or visit the BISP offices. It should be noted that apart from flour, sugar, and ghee, other subsidized items will be provided at the same rate for both general and targeted subsidy users.

  • Civil Aviation Authority returns lost pouch containing $9,500 to passenger

    Civil Aviation Authority returns lost pouch containing $9,500 to passenger

    The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has successfully recovered a missing pouch containing $9,500, equivalent to Rs2.7 million, belonging to a passenger who arrived in Islamabad from the United States.

    Anwar Aman and his family arrived in Islamabad via flight QR-632, as confirmed by a CAA official. Upon retrieving his bags from the belt in the lounge, he inadvertently left his handbag on the chair.

    At around 2:30 am, Aman left the welcome area with his belongings. However, upon returning to the airport at 3 am, he discovered that his pouch was missing. After an unsuccessful attempt to locate the pouch himself, he reported the matter to the authorities and requested that CCTV footage be checked. Unfortunately, there was no CCTV surveillance in the location where the pouch was lost.

    Subsequently, the Adviser to the Prime Minister, Aun Chaudhry, was contacted, and CAA Vigilance Assistant Rab Nawaz was instructed to investigate the matter through CCTV footage. The CAA team then proceeded to check each passenger with the help of cameras, and a particular family was suspected. As a result, data was collected from the female passenger and her other family members, and the husband of the female passenger in the UK was contacted and informed of the entire incident.

    Eventually, the CAA team was able to recover the pouch containing $9,500 from the woman. The currency, worth Rs2.7 million, was then handed over to its owner, Anwar Aman.