Current Final

Author: News Desk

  • Nawaz Sharif meets Awn Chaudhry and Aleem Khan at London residence

    Nawaz Sharif meets Awn Chaudhry and Aleem Khan at London residence

    Aleem Khan and Awn Chaudhry met Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif separately at his London residence.

    Aleem Khan didn’t talk to the media and left right after the meeting. Refusing to give details about the meeting, Aleem Khan said, “I will avoid talking about politics.”

    “Let’s talk about the weather. The weather in London will not have any impact on the politics in Pakistan,” he said smilingly to reporters.

    Chaudhry, who is also the PM’s advisor on sports and tourism, said that Pakistan needs Nawaz Sharif at this critical juncture, adding that the nation would hear good news very soon.

    “Don’t ask me anything today. We pray that Nawaz Sharif comes to Pakistan soon,” he told the media. The Punjab government will crumble under its own weight, he predicted in reply to a question.

    PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz was present in the meeting with Nawaz Sharif.

  • ‘3 saal ki bachi ka mazaak’: Minal Khan blasts troll for referring to niece Amal as ‘choti aurat’

    ‘3 saal ki bachi ka mazaak’: Minal Khan blasts troll for referring to niece Amal as ‘choti aurat’

    Actor Minal Khan has clapped back at a mean troll on Instagram for body-shaming her 3 year-old niece Amal Muneeb. The netizen commented under Amal and her celebrity parents’ picture, “Lag raha hai choti aurat upar bitha li (seems like he has made a small woman sit on him).”

    The Jalan star hit back at him by saying sarcastically, “bohat achi bat hai 3 saal ki bachi ka mazak urana (a very good thing to make fun a 3-year-old child).”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oi_r8C-3O44&t=12s

    Earlier this year Minal and her husband Ahsan Mohsin Ikram posted a video on social media with Amal, driving on the roads of Karachi.

    Many netizens called the couple “irresponsible” both for their actions and for laughing when it’s not funny.

    Minal then posted a clarification on the controversy. She stated that the duo were driving down their own street.

    Last year activist and Wasim Akram’s better half, Shaneira Akram schooled actress Minal Khan for not wearing a seat belt. Shaneira shared a screenshot from Minal Khan’s recent video in which she can be seen traveling without wearing a seat belt with her beau Ahsan Mohsin Ikram. The Australian diva captioned her post as, “Come on guys you are famous, and have millions of followers, is it too hard to be a little more responsible?”

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is shaniera-576x1024.jpg

    She added, “Put your seat belt and eyes on the road, I’m sorry to say but that song won’t be as cute if she is singing it in hospital.”

  • FIA says no money was directly deposited into PM Shehbaz, Hamza’s accounts

    FIA says no money was directly deposited into PM Shehbaz, Hamza’s accounts

    The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) informed a special court in Lahore that no money was “directly deposited” into the bank accounts of Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif and his son, Hamza Shehbaz, in a Rs16 billion money laundering case.

    On Tuesday, the court was told that PM Shehbaz could not appear due to official engagements and requested an exemption for a day. However, Hamza appeared in court.

    Answering questions raised by the judge today, FIA’s prosecutor informed the court that Malik Maqsood – the deceased key figure in the money laundering case – had been operating eight bank accounts and that all details had been mentioned in the challan submitted before the court.

    FIA’s prosecutor, Farooq Bajwa, further argued that the record shows that neither the amounts had ever been deposited nor withdrawn from PM Shehbaz Sharif or from his son Hamza’s bank accounts.

    Hamza’s counsel argued that there is no allegation of kickbacks on the accused persons. He added that the investigation was carried out before the political situation changed and the statements were recorded on political bases.

    Earlier this month, the FIA had given a clean chit to PM Shehbaz and Hamza Shehbaz in this case, saying there was no direct evidence against them in the case.

    The case:

    In 2021, FIA submitted a challan against Shehbaz and Hamza to the special court for their alleged involvement in laundering Rs16 billion in a sugar scam.

    The report added that the amount was kept in “hidden accounts” and “given to Shehbaz in a personal capacity”.

    At the time, FIA had said that the amount of Rs16 billion has nothing to do with the sugar business of Shehbaz’s family. The money allegedly received from the accounts of low-wage employees was transferred outside Pakistan, ultimately destined for the beneficial use of his family members.

  • Rana Sanaullah says PM House staffers behind audio leaks

    Rana Sanaullah says PM House staffers behind audio leaks

    Federal Minister for Interior, Rana Sanaullah, has revealed that those involved in the recent leaking of sensational audio clips have been identified.

    Talking on Geo News‘ show “Aaj Shahzaib Khanzada Kay Saath”, the minister said, “Under the directives of the prime minister and the National Security Council, an investigation is underway, the results of which will be presented before the Premier, and then it will be decided to what extent the findings will be shared.”

    The minister said that the matter of the audio leaks is not related to an agency, but a few people, who have been identified. He added that these people belong to the staff of the Prime Minister House. Some people do such work for monetary gains, he implied.

    According to the initial investigation, Sanaullah said that it wasn’t bugging; in fact, phone tapings have surfaced.

    Several audios have been leaked online in recent days — allegedly featuring government officials, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Vice-president Maryam Nawaz and others including former and current cabinet members.

  • 24th man charged in sexual abuse case

    Detectives investigating allegations of historic child sexual abuse in Bradford have charged another man, bringing the total number to 24.

    The man named Omar Taj, 35, has been charged with the rape of a child. He appeared at Bradford Magistrates Court on Friday, 7 October.

    Twenty-three men have already appeared in court to face charges relating to the same victim. The alleged offences happened in the Bradford area between 2007 and 2011.

    The offences, including rape and child prostitution, are said to have taken place between 2007 and 2011 and involve one victim.

  • ‘Not convinced there was a conspiracy’: President Dr Alvi

    ‘Not convinced there was a conspiracy’: President Dr Alvi

    President Dr Arif Alvi while discussing the infamous ‘cipher’, has said that he is not convinced that a “foreign conspiracy was hatched” against former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan.

    However, Imran Khan has claimed that the no-confidence motion against him was part of a foreign conspiracy.

    In an interview with journalist Asma Shirazi, the president stated: “I sent that letter to the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP). I am convinced that it must be probed. I am not convinced of the fact that a conspiracy was hatched.”

    Appointment of COAS:

    About the appointment of the new Chief of Army Staff (COAS) in November, the president was of the view that “broader consultation” should be held.

    Dr Alvi said that he learned through the newspaper that there’s a consultation going on in London regarding the appointment. The government should consult PTI chief Imran Khan on the matter, he said.

    He claimed that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government also consulted the Opposition when former PM Imran Khan extended the three-year term of the incumbent COAS General Bajwa in 2019.

    Importance of dialogue:

    During the interview, President Alvi stressed on the importance of “dialogue”. When asked about the speculation that he had arranged a meeting between the establishment and Imran Khan, he responded: “Meri koshish yeh hai ke logo ko bethao ke dialogue karo” (I am trying that I get people to sit down and have a dialogue).

    He said dialogue is necessary for settling political issues between the government and the Opposition. He was of the view that the people are concerned about political polarisation and one of its causes was that there are different governments in the provinces.

    ‘Khan was very disappointed’: President Alvi

    President Dr Alvi, who is also a PTI leader, talked about the party not going back to Parliament. “Imran Khan was very disappointed with the manner in which his government was ousted and on that basis, he decided not to sit in the assembly,” he told Asma Shirazi.

    However, when asked about the party’s decision of resigning from the National Assembly (NA), President Alvi said that if he had been consulted, he could have given “different advice”.

    He observed that politicians are the biggest stakeholders in the country. The president said that the army should be “neutral”. When asked that Khan says that the establishment shouldn’t be neutral, he said, “You can ask him about his views”.

    ‘Free and Fair elections’: President Alvi

    President Alvi said that in August 2023, assemblies will be dissolved, stressing that both the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and the PTI wanted early polls in the past. “Even the Supreme Court had considered the issue of early elections and consulted politicians,” he added.

    “I am trying to evolve an understanding of these issues and I will facilitate the process. The most important issue is the holding of free and fair elections”, he said.

  • Uber ceases operations in 5 Pakistani cities

    Uber ceases operations in 5 Pakistani cities

    According to a statement released by Uber on Tuesday, it has stopped operating in Karachi, Multan, Faisalabad, Peshawar, and Islamabad.

    A statement on the company’s website says, “Uber is dedicated to Pakistan. We will continue to serve these five cities via our subsidiary brand Careem and continue to run the Uber app in Lahore.”

    Uber will keep providing its services in Lahore while also introducing new products to “help earners through these challenging times.”

    It declared that it would inform its customers and business partners in the five locations of how to use and seamlessly switch to Careem.

    “When we acquired Careem, it was always our belief that the two companies could come together to complement each other’s strengths and better serve the region through tailored experiences,” the statement added.

    According to Dawn, the company said it was aware this was a “difficult time” for its teams, which had “worked incredibly hard to build this business over the past few years”.

    “We greatly appreciate everyone’s contributions and our priority is to minimise the impact on our employees, drivers, riders, and Hero partners who use the Uber app during this change in Karachi, Islamabad, Faisalabad, Multan and Peshawar,” the statement reads.

    Uber finalised the $3.1 billion acquisition of rival Careem in 2020. At the time, it was said that Careem and Uber will continue to operate as distinct businesses and provide their own regional services.

    By the time the purchase was completed, Uber had acquired Careem’s mobility, delivery, and payments operations throughout the larger Middle East, including its key markets in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates.

  • Pakistan categorically rejects Narendra Modi’s remarks about Kashmir

    Pakistan categorically rejects Narendra Modi’s remarks about Kashmir

    Pakistan on Tuesday said that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks about resolving the Kashmir issue are false and misleading.

    Modi, at a rally in Gujarat on Monday, claimed that he had, “resolved the Kashmir issue”.

    “As I am following the footsteps of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (former Indian Congress leader), I have values of the land of Sardar and that was the reason I resolved the problem of Kashmir and paid true tributes to Sardar Patel,” Modi was quoted as saying by the Indian media.

    Foreign Office (FO) called on India to ensure that the people of Kashmir are accorded their inalienable right to self-determination, while demanding that the Indian leadership, instead of making “delusional” statements about having resolved the Kashmir issue, must deliver on their commitments.

    The FO said that Jammu and Kashmir is an internationally recognised dispute, the resolution of which has been on the agenda of the United Nations since 1948.

    FO said further stated that, “India’s craftily staged visits to the occupied territory choreographed launches of so-called development projects in a bid to create a facade of normalcy will neither dampen the spirit of the Kashmiris nor would it deceive the world into believing India’s deception.”

    “Pakistan has consistently called upon the international community to assume its role and responsibility with regards to Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK) and the ongoing Indian atrocities in the occupied territory.”

    The FO noted that India must also be held responsible for its “nefarious scheme of altering the demography of IIOJK”, as well as for its brutal repression of innocent Kashmiris.

    “Pakistan reiterates its call on human rights and humanitarian organizations to condemn India’s state terrorism in IIOJK and demand an immediate reversal of the Indian government’s illegal and unilateral actions of 5 August 2019,” the statement concluded.

  • Ishaq Dar leaves for US to attend annual IMF, World Bank meetings

    Ishaq Dar leaves for US to attend annual IMF, World Bank meetings

    The Federal Minister of Finance and Revenue Ishaq Dar would ask the World Bank (WB) for an early release of cash and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to relax the program’s rules.

    Alongside the annual meeting, Ishaq Dar will meet representatives from the IMF and WB. He will also meet representatives of the global rating agency Moody’s and the IMF to examine the state of the economy and the loan programme.

    According to Dawn, the discussions will also include participation from the Finance Secretary and the Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).

    At a press conference on Saturday, the minister firmly denied rumours that he will visit the Paris Club to reschedule loans from multilateral lenders and donor organisations.

    The minister added that they had complied with the report of the most recent Moody’s credit rating in a hurry and that the ministry had provided its response in a press release.

    The Prime Minister met with representatives from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund last month on the UN sidelines to review the current flood situation and request relief in the programme terms, which they pledged to take favourably.

  • Video: Madhuri Dixit dances her heart out on Pakistani song

    Video: Madhuri Dixit dances her heart out on Pakistani song

    Bollywood actor Madhuri Dixit recently stunned her fans by sharing a dancing reel on Pakistani singer-actor Ali Zafar’s chartbuster song, Sun Re Sajaniya.

    Ali Zafar shared that he was ecstatic to see his favorite actress dancing at his most popular song.

    He reposted the video on his official Instagram account. 

    The ‘Teefa in Trouble’ star has often expressed his love for the senior actress by referring her as his childhood crush.

    The Kalank diva nailed the video with her sizzling dance moves and gorgeous facial expression.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oi_r8C-3O44&t=12s

    Earlier this year, Pakistan actress Alizeh Shah took to her official social media handles to flaunt her singing skills by crooning Madhuri Dixit’s O Re Piya.