Current Final

Author: News Desk

  • IMF rejects Pakistan’s circular debt management plan, advises raising power tariff

    IMF rejects Pakistan’s circular debt management plan, advises raising power tariff

    In order to cap the extra subsidy at Rs335 billion for the current fiscal year, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has rejected the circular debt management plan (CDMP) that the government had given and requested the authorities to hike the power tariff by Rs12.50 per unit.

    Talks on the ninth review are now being held in Pakistan by an IMF team; they will last until February 9 and are anticipated to result in a staff-level agreement between the two parties.

    During the second day of technical discussions, the Washington-based lender referred to the amended CDMP as “unrealistic,” which is based on several incorrect assumptions. Therefore, the government would need to make further adjustments to its recommended course of action to limit the losses in the cash-strapped electricity industry.

    A fiscal deficit will be worked up between the IMF and the Finance Ministry, and various extra taxing measures will then be finalised through the forthcoming mini-budget.

    The international lender has asked Pakistan to impose Rs600–800 billion in additional taxes in the second round of talks to revive the $7 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF), which has been stalled for months.

    According to details, the Federal Board of Revenue held a second round of technical talks with the IMF mission, led by Mission Chief to Pakistan Nathan Porter, on the ninth review of a $7 billion loan programme.

    The lender also demanded the government increase tax collection to 1 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP). Sources claimed that the fund demanded the government fix the next fiscal year’s tax collection target at Rs8.3 billion.

  • Apple may launch a folding iPad in 2024: Apple analyst

    Apple may launch a folding iPad in 2024: Apple analyst

    According to a recent report by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple is expected to launch a foldable iPad in 2024. According to Kuo, the next iPad will not be released this year, and mass manufacturing of the new iPad Mini will start in Q1 of 2024.

    These iPads will be manufactured by Anjie Technology and will contain a carbon fiber kickstand at their back.

    Apple will “continue benefiting from the growing trends of foldable devices, equipped with kickstands in the future,” said Kuo.

    It’s likely that the kickstand Kuo mentioned will be fixed in the iPad case since foldables can easily stand without the need for a kickstand. On the other hand, the foldable iPad might not be as stable and need a kickstand at its back for support.

    While the tech giant is currently experiencing a 15 per cent decline in tablet shipments, analysts believe that the release of the first foldable iPad will be a big break for the company.

    The bigger displays and OLED panels of the new iPad Pro tablets, which were also introduced, are likely to make them broader for hand usage.

    A foldable tablet can significantly improve portability because it can be difficult to carry usual tablets because they often do not fit in pockets. Apple users will soon be able to carry their iPads with ease thanks to the folding iPad.

  • Man fakes own death to see how many people will attend his funeral

    Baltazar Lemos, 60, faked his death, complete with an announcement on social media and then organised a fake funeral for his family and friends to see who would show up.


    Lemos, who regularly officiates funerals, recalled being saddened after presiding over a service for someone with just two people there as opposed to those where hundreds were present.


    After Lemos’s post, his nephews rushed to the hospital only to find out that he hadn’t been admitted to the hospital.


    His friends also heard the news and inquired about the cause of death, but they received no response. Instead, people were advised to attend the event by sharing the funeral’s location and time.


    The man’s friends and family attended the parade that was planned in his hometown to express their sorrow. However, when Lemos’ voice was heard, everyone was surprised, and several people started crying.

    Lemos’ surprised people who were grieving for him by opening the coffin lid and emerging from it. However, the mourners became upset and accused him of hurting their feelings.

  • Why are humiliation nikkah’s a relevant part of Pakistani dramas?

    Why are humiliation nikkah’s a relevant part of Pakistani dramas?

    The year is 2023. The Pakistani entertainment industry is as terrified of a woman who exercises her own free will and independence, as it was in 1973. After encouraging the bitch and bechari trope, the gold digger, the women fighting over a man trope, here comes another interesting plot device to keep viewers entertained: humiliation nikkahs.

    What is this term and why do we bring this up? Humiliation nikkahs is a trope that are apparently suppose to make the enmity to lovers story even more spicier, simply by pressurizing the girl to marry the man for the sake of keeping her izzat intact. Bring up an excuse like the man the woman was suppose to marry bailed, and what could be more precious for a woman than diamonds, jewelry or a worthwhile lifestyle? Her honor! Because dear children, if a woman has no honor, punish her by marrying her off instantly to a stranger, popping out a ready made husband good to go!

    Recently, the drama Mujhe Pyar Hua Tha has been gaining a lot of attention on social media because of Wahaj Ali’s brilliant performance, but his smolder and Nice Boy™️ vibes isn’t enough to divert us from the regressive story line. A love affair is stopped because women do not appreciate caring and nice boys apparently. From the start, the drama keeps us invested in the love story between  two cousins (not enough coffee on this planet to get in to how messed up this is). The male lead, Saad (excellent name choice, five points for the writer) is the good boy next door. He’s the one who has always listened to your problems, is only a call away when you need to go out, but not the one you want to fall in love with. . He’s Devdas without the dimples or the long hair strand in front of the face, but the slouch who moans about no one liking him.

    Then there’s the girl, Meerab, who is vain, self-centered, and consistently ignoring Nice Boy’s™️ kindness. She also taunts him for not doing enough when in the first episode, she chastises Saad for not owning a nice enough car and making her late to her cousin’s wedding. Meerab falls in love with a rich man Areeb, for which she is repeatedly condemned by her family, because she begs them not to force her to marry Saad, the man she had literally grown up next to. She and her mother are painted as villains in the drama because of their aspirations to marry above their station.

    But what possible flaw could Saad have, aside from the fact that he is literally her blood relative? He’s the Nice Boy™️! Could it be perhaps that she doesn’t owe to him that she gives up her independence simply because he loves her? Or perhaps she has different desires than what Saad is offering her, and would like to have a wealthy and luxurious lifestyle? But by the end of the day, Meerub is a selfish, manipulating bitch for wanting more than just a mere home, and Saad is the Sad Boy who got played with because for once, a woman reminded him that she doesn’t owe him anything.

    And then we come to the part that has inspired this rant: the shotgun wedding that is apparently the genius twist used to put two enemies together. Apparently the writer thought they were one-upping the great minds of writers like Agatha Christie or Emily Henry, who couldn’t write a better love triangle than forcing a woman to quickly marry her cousin because log baatien kar rahay hain? One would have to question why do television shows still presume that a woman’s honor and respect is completely destroyed when they are raped or assualted,  but there is never a question about the man’s sense of respect. Especially in a country where more women are beaten or murdered by family relatives because they made videos on Tik Tok or even rejected a man’s proposal, this kind of message actively perpetuates the ever present misogyny women in Pakistan still deal with.

    ‘Log Kya Kahengee’ is a mantra women have been sacrificing their dreams and existence to, and it’s shameful that to this day, drama creators cannot recognize how damaging their depictions can be for women trying to survive in Pakistan.

    The humiliation nikkah isn’t brand new, but a beloved trope. Popular dramas like Chupke Chupke abruptly put the opposing lovers together without any proper chemistry because it was another great idea hatched by respectable elders. Dear children, marriage is the magic wand that magically evaporates any anonymity or prejudice two people who never have interacted before in their lives might have, and then suddenly they’re the new Majnu Laila in town. Chupke Chupke executed this trope in a brilliant manner. Faaz and Meenu, the opposites in the Hum Tv Ramzan drama, had never interacted before, and were also STUDENT and TEACHER before this happened. Meenu tragically happened to have been engaged to a con-man, who was quickly caught by the brilliance of family members who were pushing her to get married in the first place. In a stroke of brilliance, they quickly decide that Meenu must marry her cousin, and teacher, Faaz Ibrahim, to save her respect. Before Faaz can even interject with some logic, Meenu’s brother quickly shushes him by reminding him ‘Meenu ki izzat ka sawal hai.’

    Because worse than marrying the wrong man or even being abused and humiliated in a toxic relationship, is getting bailed on your wedding day.

    What’s more worrying to witness is how the humiliation nikkah trope is supposed to be a way writers are trying to convince the audience that a toxic male lead, who repeatedly stalks, harasses and crosses boundaries with a woman, is actually truly in love with her. Taking an example of the ever green Ishq Hai where Danish Taimoor”s character is driven to madness when he realizes that the woman he loves (played by Minal Khan) is getting married to someone else. So he kidnaps her, drives her to an isolated home, where he holds a gun to his head and threatens this woman that she must marry him, or he will kill himself.

    Swoon, right? Shah Rukh Khan should take notes. He only gently reminded his female lead that he wouldn’t force her to run away with him, because he loved her too much, and would never want her to live a life of shame and cut off from her loved ones.

    But what’s going to change by shouting our frustrations in the air this way because by the end of the day, this is the same entertainment industry willing to demonize Aurat March as a Western agenda movement, designed to break apart the family system.

    The family system, that is maintained because women have kept quiet for centuries about being abused, mistreated, cut off from their family members, forced to clean and cook for the entire household, will suddenly collapse overnight because one girl made the choice to marry according to her own free will.

    We sincerely hope that Pakistani drama creators would maybe stop chasing their own tales and spinning out the same regressive storylines, and maybe for once, listen to the women living in Pakistan, who deserve much better than consistently being denied their humanity and self worth.

  • PTA limits access to Wikipedia for 48 hours

    The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has said that it has restricted access to Wikipedia for Pakistanis for 48 hours.

    In a series of tweets from its official Twitter account, PTA said that the free online encyclopedia had “sacrilegious” content, despite being asked by PTA to remove it.

    The restoration of its services will only be considered if they block or remove unlawful content. However, PTA did not specify which contents it deemed unlawful.

    The authority also hinted that Wikipedia may face a permanent block in Pakistan if the platform does not remove or block the content as directed by PTA.

  • Khan asks court to dismiss Tyrian White case

    Khan asks court to dismiss Tyrian White case

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman and former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Wednesday submitted a reply to Islamabad High Court (IHC) in reply to a disqualification petition filed against him for not disclosing details about his daughter Tyrian Jade White in his nomination papers.

    In the reply, Khan requested the court to dismiss the petition, arguing that he is not a Member of the National Assembly (MNA) anymore, therefore such a petition is “not maintainable and may not be proceeded”.

    Moreover, he said that the IHC could not examine the “veracity or otherwise of any declaration or affidavit issued” in the exercise of its constitutional jurisdiction, especially with respect to a person who had ceased to hold public office.

    Last year, Sajid Mehmood filed a petition in the IHC claiming that although Imran made arrangements for Tyrian White in the United Kingdom (UK), he did not disclose information about her in his nomination papers or in affidavits filed by him, a pretext necessary for contesting elections in the country.

    Tyrian, born in 1992 to the late American heiress Sita White, is alleged to be Khan’s biological child. Her mother passed away in 2004 when Tyrian was 12 years old.

  • Netflix releases trailer for ‘The Romantics’, celebrating Yash Chopra’s legacy

    Netflix releases trailer for ‘The Romantics’, celebrating Yash Chopra’s legacy

    Netflix dropped the trailer for the upcoming documentary ‘The Romantics’, a film about the legacy of legendary director Yash Chopra, maker of some of Bollywood’s most critically acclaimed films like ‘Silsila’, ‘Chabdni’ and ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayienge’.


    Chopra, called the ‘Father of Romance’ for his penchant for love stories, died in 2012 at the age of 80.

    The documentary is a four part series which will interview three generations of actors such as Amitabh Bachchan, the late Rishi Kapoor, Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol, who will talk about their experience of working with Chopra, and how he helped them gain stardom and success in Bollywood.


    This will also be the first time Chopra’s son, Producer Aditya Chopra will be present for an interview, after refusing to come on camera for 20 years.


    Directed by Smitri Mundhra, the documentary shall release on Netflix platforms on 14th Feb.

    Watch the trailer here.

  • ‘My life, my choice’; Maria Wasti opens up about her leaked pictures controversy

    ‘My life, my choice’; Maria Wasti opens up about her leaked pictures controversy

    Years after private photos of Maria Wasti were leaked online, the actor has talked about the scandal that followed on Nadir Ali’s podcast.

    Wasti opened up about how her’s and Ayesha Omer’s photos in swimsuits at a vacation were leaked online. She said that there wasn’t any way people could ensure their personal photos weren’t leaked to the public.
    “These were some personal pictures, and this happened a long time ago when there wasn’t much awareness of privacy settings. But it was someone who was Ayesha’s personal friend, who had leaked our pictures to the press. It was sad that it happened.’


    Wasti defended her choice to wear a bikini back then, saying that she won’t apologize for wearing clothes of her choice. The actress also revealed that she received a lot of negative comments on social media over her photos, but she chooses not to let it effect her.
    “My life, my choice…Yes people did troll me. I do intend to check who is criticizing and what are they saying. I make sure what words I should be effected by and what I shouldn’t. Again that’s your own choice. I was not happy about it, because it was stealing my personal pictures or personal life that you hadn’t shown to the media. So it shouldn’t be done, but it happened.’

    Listen to the whole interview below:

  • ‘Why were there two black Vigos?’: Elahi family slams govt after raid on Gujrat house

    Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid’s (PML-Q) and former Chief Minister (CM) Punjab Pervaiz Elahi has condemned the raid on his family house ‘Kunjah Gujrat’ and held the incumbent government responsible.

    In a tweet, he claimed that the staff at their house was harassed in the middle of the night. The former CM also threatened the caretaker government with legal action and said that the matter will go to court.

    Addressing Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif and caretaker CM Punjab Mohsin Naqvi directly in another tweet, Elahi urged Shehbaz to “respect the sanctity of the home” and warned him that “people would protest outside his own home”. To Naqvi, he said that his job is to ensure fair and transparent elections

    He also regretted that “the rulers have directed police and administration to engage in vengeful actions” while the country is dealing with terrorism.

    Earlier in the day, his son and former federal minister Moonis Elahi claimed that his family home in Gujrat was raided by the police in the early hours of Wednesday “without having a warrant, nor a case”.

    Implying that intelligence agencies were involved in the raid, he said “I can wrap my head around the 25 police vehicles, but why were there two black Vigos?”.

    Moonis then asked if the police were looking for Indian agents.

    The raid has taken place after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday declared that PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain would remain the president of the party months weeks after he was ousted following rifts with his cousin Pervaiz Elahi.

    Earlier, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) accused the caretaker Punjab government of ‘political persecution’.

  • Fawad Chaudhry free on bail

    Fawad Chaudhry free on bail

    An Islamabad district and sessions court has accepted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry’s bail petition in the case registered against him for threatening Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) officials and their families.

    The bail has been accepted on the condition that he will not repeat any words that can incite violence against a constitutional institution.

    Chaudhry was arrested outside his house in Lahore last Wednesday after the case was registered against him in Islamabad.

    Court sends Fawad Chaudhry to jail on judicial remand again

    On January 30, the court sent Chaudhry to jail on a 14-day judicial remand.

    Fawad was presented before the court at 3 pm.

    Fawad is under arrest since five days.

    Court accepts police plea for Fawad’s physical remand

    On January 28, the court granted physical remand of Fawad Chaudhry to the police.

    The former minister was brought to court on Saturday with a black cloth covering his face on directives issued by Additional Sessions Judge Tahir Mehmood Khan who said the appearance of a suspect in the court is mandatory in cases where investigators seek a physical remand.

    Earlier, the court had sent Fawad to Adiala Jail on a 14-day judicial remand.

    Court sends Fawad Chaudhry to Adiala Jail

    On January 27, Chaudhry was sent to Adiala jail on a 14-day judicial remand in this case.

    The former information minister was taken into custody after a first information report (FIR) against him was registered in Islamabad by an official of ECP.

    Islamabad court approves Fawad’s two-day physical remand

    On January 26, the district and sessions court approved a two-day physical remand of Fawad Chaudhry.

    The Islamabad Police had sought an eight-day physical remand of the PTI leader. However, the court did not approve their request and asked the authorities to present the PTI leader on January 27.

    The police — during the time that the verdict was reserved — also took the PTI senior leader to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), where he underwent a medical checkup and was declared fit.

    The former federal minister has vehemently denied all charges against him and demanded the case be dismissal as it is “fraud and the FIR is a sham”.

    ‘Where is Fawad Chaudhry?’; LHC summons Punjab, Islamabad IGs over failure to produce PTI leader

    The Lahore High Court (LHC) on January 25 summoned the inspector generals (IG) of Islamabad and Punjab police after the authorities failed to produce Chaudhry before it.

    The LHC had ordered authorities to present Fawad before it in response to a petition filed by Fawad’s cousin, Nabeel Shehzad, for the “recovery” of the former federal minister.

    Interestingly, the orders were issued after a local court of Lahore had approved Fawad’s transitory remand in a sedition case filed against him in Islamabad on the Election Commission’s complaint.

    At the outset of the hearing on January 25, Justice Sheikh instructed the police to present Fawad in court by 1:30pm.

    On the other hand, PTI lawyer Azhar Siddique told the court that they had just learnt that Fawad was being taken to Islamabad.

    “The orders that I give, I make sure they are implemented,” Justice Sheikh said here. “Even if he [Fawad] has reached Islamabad, bring him back and present him before the court.”

    The hearing was adjourned for 30 minutes.

    When it resumed, the judge inquired: “Where is Fawad?”

    The AAG replied that Fawad was in the custody of the Islamabad police after which Justice Sheikh summoned the inspector generals of Islamabad and Punjab to court.

    Chaudhry’s wife appeals to the CJP to take suo-moto over husband’s arrest

    Chaudhry’s wife while talking to the media on Wednesday, January 26, said that the Chief justice of Pakistan (CJP), Umar Ata Bandial should take suo moto over her husband’s arrest.

    Lahore court allows police to take Fawad Chaudhry to Islamabad

    A court in Lahore allowed the police on Wednesday to take Chaudhry to Islamabad, hours after he was arrested

    Fawad Chaudhry brought to Lahore court hours after arrest

    Chaudhry was presented before a court in Lahore by the Islamabad Police to seek a transitory remand to transfer the former federal minister to the capital.

    Chaudhry was brought to the Cantt court in Lahore amid tight security early on Wednesday morning, hours after he was arrested from outside his residence on charges of sedition.

    Earlier this morning, Fawad was “taken away” in four cars with no number plates at 5:30AM. Faisal Chaudhry, Fawad’s brother, said that the family was unaware of Fawad’s location.

    During the hearing at Cantt Court, Fawad said that he was proud of the charges against him. “These allegations were also levelled at Nelson Mandela.”

    “It is being said that I have committed sedition […] I am a former Supreme Court lawyer and federal minister […] I should be treated with respect,” he told the court.

    The PTI leader said that the way he was arrested was “inappropriate”. “Had they called me, I would have come myself.”

    The Islamabad police have confirmed that the arrest has taken place. A case against Chaudhary was registered last night at the Kohsar police station in Islamabad on the complaint of Secretary of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Omer Hamid Khan. The first information report (FIR) was lodged against him for using threatening language against the ECP and its members.

    In his speech outside PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s residence in Lahore’s Zaman Park, Fawad threatened the Election Commission, its members and their families, according to the FIR.

    The FIR states that Chaudhary said that the status of the election commission was reduced to that of a ‘munshi’ (clerk).

    Fawad said that those who become part of the caretaker government will be pursued until they are punished. He had said that the people sitting in the government would be pursued to their houses.

    A number of party leaders took to Twitter and condemned the arrest including Shireen Mazari and Hammad Azhar.