Current Final

Author: News Desk

  • ‘General Faiz ne hamaaray sath ziyaadtiaan ki’: CM Pervaiz Elahi says former DG ISI was against him

    ‘General Faiz ne hamaaray sath ziyaadtiaan ki’: CM Pervaiz Elahi says former DG ISI was against him

    Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has accused former spy chief Faiz Hameed of wanting to put him and his son Moonis Elahi behind bars.

    In an explosive interview with ARY News’ programme ‘The Reporters’, Elahi said that General Faiz called the Chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and asked him to put the father and son behind bars.

    “General [retd] Faiz ne humary sath ziyaatiyaan ki”, (General (retd) Faiz did grave injustices to us), Elahi said, emphasizing that the former head of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief was “strongly against” him.

    He also revealed that he had taken up the matter with the ex-COAS General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa. Gen Faiz had then informed the army chief that the alleged political persecution had been ordered by Imran Khan.

    ‘Bajwa sahab humray mohsin hain’: CM Elahi

    Throughout the interview, the chief minister regretted Imran Khan’s remarks against General [retd] Bajwa. He reminded that General [retd] Bajwa is Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) benefactor and they shouldn’t be “ungrateful”.

    Elahi said that he told Moonis Elahi: “Bajwa sahab humray mohsin hain, aap ke mohsin hain, PTI ke mohsin hain. Khuda ka wasta hai un ke khilaf kuch na bolay” (Bajwa sahab is ours, yours and PTI’s benefactor, so don’t speak against him).

    He said he had reiterated the same in his meeting with PTI Chairman Imran Khan a day ago at Imran’s Zaman Park residence. “He [Imran] replied: ‘I’ve received many requests [not to speak against Bajwa],’ so I said: ‘Then accept them,’” Elahi added.

    “The injustice that Imran Khan did was making us sit beside him and criticising Bajwa sahab.”

    Elahi said General Bajwa met the Saudi king and the crown prince, went to Qatar to bring money for Pakistan and even worked with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to support Khan’s government.

    He said that he felt “very bad but could not speak to Khan in privacy before he made a long speech and announced the dissolution of Punjab and KP assemblies on Saturday.”

    The chief minister also claimed that 99 per cent of the people within PTI were against Khan’s decision regarding the dissolution of assemblies.

    ‘Mei ne kaha GET OUT’, CM Elahi gives shut up call to PTI member for speaking against General Bajwa

    He also warned that he and his party won’t tolerate a word against ex-COAS. He said that he even gave a shut up call to PTI’s Sardar Hasnain Bahadar Dreshak for speaking against Gen Bajwa.

    “Mai toh cabinet mein bardaasht nahi karta, pehlay din hee keh diya tha. Dreshak ne cabinet mei bak bak shuru kardi. Mei ne kaha get out” (I told everyone on the first day that I wouldn’t tolerate this behaviour in the cabinet. When Dreshak started speaking nonsense, I said get out).

    Dreshak resigned from his post as the provincial minister for food on December 17. Earlier, it was reported that he and Elahi exchanged heated words during a cabinet meeting on Friday after which the minister left the room in protest and later sent his resignation.

    About Usman Buzdar

    CM Elahi took a direct jibe at former CM of Punjab, Usman Buzdar, stating that he had ruined the province and that Elahi sorted things out with four months of hard work.

    In response, Buzdar said that criticism of him is like criticising the PTI narrative. He added that he also has a lot to say but he has never spoken ill about anyone.

    Moonis Elahi met Imran Khan

    Following Elahi’s interview, Imran Khan called Moonis Elahi to his residence and discussed his father’s “harsh” statements. The younger Elahi explained his father’s, his own and his party’s stance with regard to Bajwa.

    On Sunday, Khan also said that he would not take any action against Gen (retd) Bajwa if he attains power again, saying his grievances with the former COAS were not a personal dispute.

    The former premier made these remarks during a meeting with a delegation of the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) at his Zaman Park residence in Lahore.

  • The seat-belt debate- it’s about time Pakistani celebrities were mindful about how their actions influence their fan base

    The seat-belt debate- it’s about time Pakistani celebrities were mindful about how their actions influence their fan base

    It started with a simple reminder: be mindful about wearing a seatbelt when driving with your children. Activist Shaneira Akram directly addressed actor Feroze Khan when he was driving with his infant in his lap, in a clip he posted himself. The activist stressed on the how this scenario put the child at risk had there been a car accident.

    “If your child is in your lap in the front seat and another car hits you even if only going 30km or less, your child will be flung from your arms, hit the dash or hit the windscreen or worse.”

    But this exchange had led to a heated back and forth with Feroze Khan writing that the activist doesn’t have “strength of understanding” after Shaneira called him out for tagging her in a video depicting animal cruelty.

    And now another actor Imran Ashraf has engaged in the argument when he was called out by Shaneira for taking inspiration from Feroze and uploading a clip of himself driving with his child in his lap without a seatbelt.
    “Please say that this is wrong or little lives are at risk!” she posted on her Instagram stories

    This all brings to question that why aren’t celebrities taking heed of Shaneira’s warning and dismissing it off as a simple controversy? As she had stressed in her posts, this was not about targeting a specific celebrity, or creating a spectacle out of something small, but shedding light on an urgent matter that has become a reason why many people lose their lives every year, all due to the careless mistake of not wearing a seat belt. As in 2020, WHO had shared in a report where data showed that around 1.93% of deaths in Pakistan were linked to road accidents. Similarly, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics published a report of traffic accidents in Pakistan from the years 2009 to 2020. The data they published revealed that more than 104,105 accidents had taken place out of which 44,959 were fatal. Moreover, due to such fatal accidents, 55,141 people had passed away and 126,144 were found seriously wounded.

    Given the stress of the situation, is it not better that celebrities take precaution of their platform and the influence they maintain over their fan base, and remain mindful that their actions can have consequences? Other celebrities had taken it on themselves to educate their fellow actors, as well as audiences on how a simple action like wearing a seatbelt can prevent something traumatizing from occurring. Actors Ayesha Omar and Fia Khan had responded to a post uploaded by Niche Lifestyle on their Instagram by sharing that it was absolutely tragic that seat belt precautions are not being taken seriously by celebrities.

    Fia had written: “Thank god @iamshaniera is being heard. Also these Parents who don’t bother to fasten the seatbelts when their kids are sitting at the back. What if you have to break all of a sudden? Where do you think God forbid your kid will go?”

    Social media users had also taken Shaneira’s side in the whole situation, and had criticized celebrities for refusing to understand the precariousness of the situation and not taking the issue of seat-belt safety properly.

    This twitter user pointed out how Pakistani roads can be described as “lawless” because of careless driving and little attention given to the importance of seat-belt precautions, and yet Pakistani celebrities choose to remain oblivious to this reality.

    Other users expressed the same disappointment that Pakistani celebrities refused to understand how dangerous driving without a seatbelt can be

    It’s disappointing that in 2022, driving safety is something public figures still need to be educated about. Anyone who is a household name would have a massive number of followers, and who could imitate their actions without a thought. Therefore argument should encourage celebrities to remember the power of their voice and be more mindful of the type of content they share with their audience.

  • Who is Haris Rauf reportedly marrying on December 26?

    Who is Haris Rauf reportedly marrying on December 26?

    Pakistani pacer Harif Rauf will tie the knot on December 26, GEO Super has reported.

    As per the details, he will get married to a former classmate. The wedding will take place in Islamabad.

    The news report says that the pacer has joined his family in the capital for the preparation of wedding festivities.

    In 2020, he played his first T20I against Bangladesh in Lahore. Haris made his Test debut at Rawalpindi during the ongoing home Test series against England.

    The wedding will cap off what has been a stellar year for the bowler as he claimed his first Test wicket on debut against England this year.
    In the 57 T20 international matches since making his international debut two years back, Haris has picked 72 wickets while in 15 ODIs, he has succeeded in claiming 29 wickets.

  • Govt to buy more than 500 hybrid buses for Lahore

    Govt to buy more than 500 hybrid buses for Lahore

    According to Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, 300 hybrid buses would be bought for Lahore in the first phase of the government’s plan to run environment-friendly hybrid buses in the city.

    About 200 new bus stops would be set up to facilitate the citizens, according to the chief minister. The 20th meeting of the Punjab Masstransit Authority (PMA), which was presided over by Parvez Elahi, decided to purchase hybrid buses that are environmentally friendly.

    Parvez Elahi informed the participants that a total of 513 hybrid buses would be operating in the city and that the Punjab Masstransit Authority would use private companies to run new hybrid buses.

    The chief minister mandated that seats be set aside in the new buses for women, special individuals with disabilities, and people who are blind or visually impaired, adding that these seats should be positioned close to the bus door. The chief minister gave the go-ahead to build new bus stops in Lahore and added that the routes of the new buses should be planned with women’s educational institutions’ schedules in mind.

    Parvez Elahi criticised the fact that previous attempts at creating a government-level transportation system spectacularly failed due to egregious incompetence in the creation of a long-lasting transportation system in the province.

    The chief minister gave his approval for the Punjab Masstransit Authority to open offices in Dera Gujran and for the authority to conduct auctions. Iftikhar Gondal, Khadija Umar, Shamim Aftab, Muhammad Khan Bhatti’s principal secretary, the secretaries of finance and transportation, along with other members of the Punjab Assembly, attended the meeting.

  • Twitter reverses controversial new policy that bans links to other social media platforms

    Twitter reverses controversial new policy that bans links to other social media platforms

    Less than 24 hours after it was first introduced, Twitter removed its controversial new policy that banned links to certain other social media sites on Sunday evening.

    Elon Musk, the platform’s owner, asked Twitter users if they thought he should step down as the platform’s CEO before the development took place. The results of the poll are expected early on Monday.

    Twitter deleted the tweet that listed the competing websites users will not be allowed to tweet links to, including Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, and Truth Social, in response to a significant backlash against the policy.

    Additionally, it removed a tweet thread from its @TwitterSupport account that had earlier in the day announced the policy.

    Another official Twitter account, @TwitterSafety, is now running a poll asking users whether the platform should “have a policy preventing the creation of or use of existing accounts for the main purpose of advertising other social media platforms.” That poll is set to conclude Monday at 9 pm Eastern time.

  • Argentina vs France: Pakistani Twitter wins the memes trophy

    Argentina vs France: Pakistani Twitter wins the memes trophy

    Celebrations erupted all over social media last night when after a tough final, Argentina lifted the 2022 FIFA world cup. For Pakistani Twitter Argentina’s win felt personal with Lionel Messi being one of the most popular players here. The maestro won the Golden Ball trophy for best player on Sunday night .

    Pakistani social media users responded with hilarious memes regarding last night’s epic match. Have a look at the reactions:

    Other Pakistani users responded with some hilarious memes regarding last night’s epic match. Have a look at the reactions:

    https://twitter.com/itsalwaysmaryam/status/1604518625087324160?s=20&t=ycnFAtc6D-2xeAcQzpE1KA

    https://twitter.com/Lanaalkadyy/status/1604520629620948993?s=20&t=ycnFAtc6D-2xeAcQzpE1KA
    https://twitter.com/imajokin/status/1604523257964949504?s=20&t=AQPb1Yr6GwlGn3HJt1di8g

  • 36 people injured due to ‘severe turbulence’ on Hawaiian Airlines flight

    At least 36 people were injured, and 20 were hospitalized Sunday after a Hawaiian Airlines flight from Phoenix to Honolulu hit severe turbulence about 30 minutes before landing.


    Jon Snook, the airline’s chief operating officer, said the airline hasn’t experienced “an incident of this nature in recent history.” The flight was full, carrying 278 passengers and 10 crew members, he said during an afternoon news conference.
    “Medical care was provided to several guests & crewmembers at the airport for minor injuries while some were swiftly transported to local hospitals for further care,” Hawaiian Airlines tweeted.

    The turbulence occurred 15 to 30 minutes before the plane landed in Honolulu, carrying 278 passengers and 10 crew members.

  • Don’t tell our women what needs to be done

    Don’t tell our women what needs to be done

    Women political participation is a fundamental prerequisite for gender equality and genuine democracy. It facilitates women’s direct engagement in public decision-making and is a means of ensuring better accountability to women. But here in Pakistan, women in politics are seen as a threat to the fragile egos of some male politicians.

    When we talk about women’s political participation, it is easy for us to imagine the empty seats around the decision-making table, and a little more difficult to picture the many obstacles and challenges women face to get into those seats. When the same empty seats are filled by women, they somehow become a threat and danger. Recently, Jamaat-e-Islami’s (JI) MNA Abdul Akbar Chitrali criticised State Minister for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar on her recent visit to Afghanistan. Chitrali said that he was not against any female minister, but he believed that the government should have included some tribal elders in the Khar-led delegation that visited Afghanistan. In response to his sexist statement, women Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) from treasury benches extended their support for Khar. Minister for Climate Change Senator Sherry Rehman said, “This debate on gender difference has ended in the entire world, as to who is a man and who a woman. People are known for their performance and merit and not for their gender. Our women are excelling internationally and continuing to do so.” Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb also spoke up, asking that all parliamentarians, especially the men, should encourage and acknowledge the competency of women ministers appointed on merit.“Hina represented Pakistan in Afghanistan. This is a moment of pride for the entire nation,” she said, rebuffing Chitrali’s objections.

    It is not the first time that we have seen sexism in parliament. Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani called Sherry Rehman the “Senate’s dadi (grandmother)” when he asked a house member to keep the questions specific so that Sherry Rehman can answer the questions. “I would advise you to only ask specific questions so that Sherry Rehman, who is the dadi of this House, can give you the right answers,” Sanjrani said, adding that members should keep the environment of the House calm.

    This month we saw PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry advising Information Marriyum Aurangzeb and Sherry Rehman to quit politics and open a beauty parlour instead.

    The question remains: what are the male politicians so frightened of? Politicians need to learn that there is a a fine line between criticism and misogyny remarks. Our politicians and men in general of Pakistan need to do better. Women of Pakistan are fierce, resolute and hardworking — be it in any field of the world. They are trendsetters and opinion makers. They shall and will not be stopped.

  • ‘What a nail-biting economic situation of Pakistan under your government’: Pakistanis react to PM’s tweet congratulating Argentina

    ‘What a nail-biting economic situation of Pakistan under your government’: Pakistanis react to PM’s tweet congratulating Argentina

    Tweeting about the “nailbiting” final, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised Messi for his performance. The PM also added that the “upsets” by Saudi Arabia and Morocco are the highlights of the tournament for him.

    It is worth noting that Saudi Arabia defeated World Cup winner Argentina early in the tournament, and Morocco shocked everyone as they finished fourth, defeating the likes of Spain, Belgium, Portugal, and Canada in the tournament.

    Pakistan’s PM added, “Congratulations to Qatar for successfully holding the mega event…Upsets by Saudi Arabia and Morocco remain highlights of the tournament for me.”

    Following his post, a number of users began to say that he should focus on the situation of the country instead of enjoying sports. Some recommended that he concentrate on the economy, while others advised him to pay attention to what was happening in Bannu.

  • Ayeza Khan signs her third Ramazan play opposite hubby Danish Taimoor

    Ayeza Khan signs her third Ramazan play opposite hubby Danish Taimoor

    Celebrity spouses, Danish Taimoor and Ayeza Khan are set to star in a Ramadan 2023 serial, Chaand Tara.

    The series is set to be directed by Danish Nawaz and written by Saima Akram Chaudhry, the maestro of Ramadan serials. While this is Danish’s first Ramadan play, Ayeza has earlier wowed her fans with comic characters in Chupke Chupke and Chaudhry & Sons.

    The Jab We Wed duo tied the knot in 2014 and have two children daughter Hoorain, and son Rayan Taimoor. 

    IN PICTURES: Ayeza Khan, Danish Taimoor's family vacay - The Current

    Khan recently won the best actor award for her performance in Chupke Chupke at the Hum Style Awards.