Author: News Desk

  • Hyundai Pakistan launches another variant of obsolete Elantra

    Hyundai Pakistan launches another variant of obsolete Elantra

    Hyundai-Nishat has introduced the long-awaited Elantra GL 1.6, with a hefty price tag of Rs4.3 million for the ‘base trim’.

    This model was predicted to compete with the Altis X 1.6, but Rs4.3 million for a base model does not seem to attract much for a car that already existed.

    The ‘latest sedan’ is now available for bookings at Hyundai dealerships for Rs1.2 million. In terms of appearance, the new Elantra GL is identical to the GLS model. The majority of the changes have occurred on the inside.

    GL’s naturally aspirated 1.6-liter 4-cylinder petrol engine produces 127 horsepower (hp) and 155 Newton-meters (Nm) of torque in the new model. It has a 6-speed automatic transmission that drives the front wheels.

    The Toyota Corolla Altis 1.6L, which is priced between Rs3.92 million and Rs4.3 million, will be the Hyundai Elantra GL’s main rival which comes with a 4-year or 100,00 km warranty. Hyundai, as a newcomer to Pakistan’s automarket, appears to be up against a formidable opponent: Toyota Indus, which has been selling automobiles for decades and is known for its sturdiness.

    Read more: Toyota to launch its first electric car with 559 km range next month

    It is too early to comment on its performance at the moment, as its fate will be revealed in the near future when Pakistan Automotive Manufacturer’s Association releases the monthly sales data.

  • PPP to get 11 ministries, PML-N 14 in federal cabinet: Rana Sanaullah

    PPP to get 11 ministries, PML-N 14 in federal cabinet: Rana Sanaullah

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) will get 14 ministries, while Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) will get 11 ministries. Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari is all set to become the Foreign Minister of Pakistan. Hina Rabbani Khar will most likely be the Minister of State in the Foreign Ministry.

    PML-N’s Rana Sanaullah told Geo News‘ anchorperson Shahzad Iqbal on “Naya Pakistan” that the Finance Ministry, Interior Ministry, Defence Ministry, Planning Ministry, Ministry of Energy and Information Ministry will remain with PML-N. Commerce Ministry and Communications Ministry will go to PPP and PML-N while MQM and PPP will get Maritime Ministry and Overseas Ministry. Marriyum Aurangzeb will most likely get Information Ministry as per media reports. Rana Sana said that these decisions have been taken after a joint committee of all allied parties finalised the formation of the new cabinet.

    According to The News, Asif Zardari advised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to give cabinet posts to all coalition partners in the first phase and the PPP would join the cabinet in the second phase. It is expected that the first phase of the cabinet will take oath today (Monday) or tomorrow (Tuesday). In the first phase, 10 to 12 ministers will take the oath.

    Last week, PPP Co-chairman Asif Zardari had hinted that the PPP may not join the federal cabinet.

    “I don’t think we are taking any ministries. We want to first accommodate our friends,” said Zardari, talking about government’s other coalition partners.

    On Friday, PPP’s Raja Pervez Ashraf was elected Speaker of the National Assembly unopposed.

  • ‘Bibi channel apne naam karwana hai?’: Muneeb Butt lashes out at Gharida Farooqi for controversial tweet on Imran Khan

    ‘Bibi channel apne naam karwana hai?’: Muneeb Butt lashes out at Gharida Farooqi for controversial tweet on Imran Khan

    Actor Muneeb Butt has taken a jibe at senior journalist Gharida Farooqi, for stating her stance on Imran Khan’s Karachi Jalsa (gathering).

    Gharida took to her twitter handle and shared the video of PTI’s Karachi jalsa, See for yourself Jinnah Garden is completely empty. There is more crowd around the stage. In a city of more than 20 million, 20,000 to 25,000 people attended the rally. Agency reports have arrived. Video of Imran Khan present in the hall. The closer you get to the stage, the better the impression.”

    You can get exclusive details in our new show, Maslay Aur Masala:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAZabelu5Jw&t=141s

    Earlier the Daldal star took to his social media handles to condemn PML-N and its leaders who are the front runners to form a government after Imran Khan’s ouster.

    The Baandi hero stated that imported government is unacceptable to him adding the hashtag of, #BeggarsCantBeLeaders.

    After the Supreme Court verdict, the Daldal actor stated that now even the public’s legs are shivering, whereas his wife Aiman termed Imran as the true leader.

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is WhatsApp-Image-2022-04-10-at-9.22.41-PM-1.jpeg
    Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif. Photo: AFP

    When the Opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif clarified his statement “Beggars can not be choosers”, which he gave in an interview with a private TV channel on Friday. He said that true freedom can never be achieved without financial independence.

    He added that unfortunately, Pakistan is not economically independent, our country is surviving on loans from foreign agencies.

    The Baddua star who is PTI supporter took to his Instagram handle to slam Shahbaz Sharif with the hashtag of #BeggarsCantBeChoosers.

    Recently Butt lashed out on Reham Khan for her latest tweet about actors supporting Prime Minister Imran Khan.

    Writer and former journalist, Reham took a dig at celebrities who are supporting Imran Khan amidst the No-motion battle. The Baddua star was quick to hit back at her by saying that when she produced the Hania Aamir starrer Janaan, she took advantage of being Imran’s wife.

  • Man murders wife for adding too much salt in his food

    Man murders wife for adding too much salt in his food

    Trigger Warning

    In a horrifying incident, a man in India’s Maharashtra allegedly killed his 40-year-old wife by strangulating her in a fit of rage after she added excessive salt to the khichrri that she served him for breakfast, reports India.com.

    The man has been identified as 46-year-old Nilesh Ghagh. According to the police, the accused strangulated his wife using a long piece of cloth.

    After being alerted, the police reached the spot and sent the woman’s body for post-mortem to a local government hospital.

    The police have registered a case against the accused under section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

    According to the publication, a similar incident had taken place last week when a man shot his daughter-in-law dead after she failed to serve him breakfast along with tea.

  • Lahore continues to face gas and power outage in Ramzan

    Lahore continues to face gas and power outage in Ramzan

    People in several localities of Lahore have complained of substantial pressure reduction as well as unannounced power cuts, bringing the natural gas and power shortages back in the holy month of Ramzan.

    On Friday, customers reported that natural gas load shedding had resumed in the city, making cooking at home difficult. Natural gas pressure only improved to a limited extent during Sehri and Iftari hours due to micromanagement by Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Ltd (SNGPL).

    As per the gas load management plan, gas supply to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) filling stations has been a concern in the country, which has yet to be updated to accommodate this sector.

    Shortages, according to experts, are due to a gap in the import of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) shipments. After long-term sellers were unable to deliver, the government attempted to negotiate cargoes of spot LNG as a backup plan. Such attempts, however, have yet to show positive outcomes. The same goes for power load shedding.

    Read more: Another hike of Rs4.9 per unit approved in power tariff

    Gas disruptions and load shedding have become the norm, according to residents. Affected locations include Canal Bank Housing Scheme, Bedian Road, Taj Bagh, Mughalpura, Saddar, Johar Town, and many more Lahore neighbourhoods.

  • Tofay hi tofay: What did Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi keep from the state gift list?

    Tofay hi tofay: What did Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi keep from the state gift list?

    An investigation by news organisation Fact Focus reveals that former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi kept all 112 presents worth Rs142.02 million from the Tosha Khana of Pakistan.

    The former PM and his wife Bushra Bibi have retained everything that was gifted to them by different states. The gifts include luxurious Rolex watches, gold and diamond jewellery, cufflinks worth millions, expensive dinner sets and perfumes. Not only that, they also kept a book worth Rs. 500, a tablemat, a samsonite bag and even a tasbih.

    The most expensive gift was a Graff watch worth Rs 85 million (Eight crore and fifty lac rupees), gifted to PM Khan by Saudi crown prince Muhammad Bin Salman when he visited Saudi Arabia on September 18, 2018. Instead of giving it the Tosha Khana, which is what every prime minister and his family is bound to do, Khan sold the watch in Dubai, according to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Khan also declared tax returns on the watch when filing his taxes in 2020-21. He apparently paid Rs. 20 million (2 crore), which was 20 percent of the estimated value, according to his tax returns.

    List of some of the gifts:

    • One pair of cufflinks worth Rs. 5,670,000.
    • Five Rolex watches
    • A table mat of Rs. 30,000
    • Wall hanging worth Rs. 15,000
    • One locket with chain (Gold+Diamond) worth Rs. 269,350
    • Carpet worth Rs. 22,000

    In his returns for the financial years 2018-19, 2019-20, and 2020-21, Imran Khan did not mention any of the Tosha Khana presents that were kept. Bushra Bibi, Khan’s wife, did not file a tax return at this time. Bushra Bibi, in reality, has never submitted a tax return in her life and was just registered with the Pakistani tax authorities in July 2021.

    A few days ago, former information minister Fawad Chaudhry that, Kya jurm huva agar gharri baich di’, admitting that Khan had sold the gifts.

    DISCLAIMER: The pictures used are for pictorial representation only and do not represent what the actual items might have been.

    Other gifts include:

  • ‘We are inching towards Civil unrest’: Fawad Ch on Punjab Assembly clash

    ‘We are inching towards Civil unrest’: Fawad Ch on Punjab Assembly clash

    Former Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry took to his Twitter account to comment on the manhandling of Deputy Speaker Dost Mohammad Mazari by Assembly members belonging to PTI, earlier today (Saturday).

    “We are inching towards a full-fledged Civil unrest, Imran Khan has exercised utmost restraint even he won’t be able to stop this very angry mob and we’ll see the country plunging into civil unrest, imported leaders will not be able to leave the country,” he wrote in the tweet.

    Mazari was roughed up by PTI legislators carrying lotas (round water containers) before being brought back to his chamber in protective custody by the assembly’s security team. Mazari was said to have suffered minor injuries as a result of the assault by the PTI MPAs.

    On Friday, a division bench of the Lahore High Court dismissed a petition filed by a PML-Q politician and ordered Deputy Speaker Punjab Assembly Dost Muhammad Mazari to hold a transparent and impartial election for the new Chief Minister of Punjab on April 16 (saturday).

  • ‘Elahi wants to get people murdered’: PML-N blames PTI, PML-Q for attack on Deputy Speaker Punjab

    ‘Elahi wants to get people murdered’: PML-N blames PTI, PML-Q for attack on Deputy Speaker Punjab

    The Punjab Assembly (PA) session, which was started to elect the new Chief Minister (CM) Punjab turned into a battle filed today (Saturday).

    Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari was attacked by several Members of the Provincial Assembly (MPAs). The lawmakers of the ruling party threw “lotas” at Mazari first, attacked him and pulled his hair despite the presence of security guards. Mazari who got injured somehow managed to go inside his chamber.

    Consequently, the session has been delayed due to the unfortunate incident.

    In a media talk outside the Punjab Assembly after the ruckus inside, PML-N leader Attaullah Tarar blamed Pervaiz Elahi and his “group of gangsters” for everything that happened inside the legislature.

    “What happened today is a blatant violation of the law and Constitution,” he said. “Today, the deputy speaker was attacked. This is an incident of terrorism. I have heard Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi wants to get one or two people murdered.” He added that Elahi had been encouraging the MPAs when they attacked the deputy speaker.

    Tarar also called on the Lahore High Court to take suo moto notice of the incident and initiate action against the culprits. “We are here and won’t move till midnight.”

    PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz also condemned the incident. In a tweet, she said, “The gang of thugs whose name is PTI, seeing their defeat in Punjab, have started bullying again.”

    She further said that “This culture is by no means good for the country and for the nation but is a disaster. It must be stopped and eradicated immediately.”

    Similarly, PML-N Marriyum Aurangzeb took a jibe at former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan. She said, “After attacking the constitution, Parliament, Khan ordered an attack on Deputy Speaker in Punjab Assembly.”

    PML-N Khawaja Asif lashed out at Pervaiz Elahi, saying: “PTI-PML-Q gang of mobsters has not only desecrated Punjab Assembly a constitutional institution representing people of Punjab but they have also brought shame to parliamentarians all over the country.”

    On the contrary, the ruling party nominee  Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi blamed the PML-N for bringing the police inside the legislature “for the first time since the creation of assemblies”.

    “Who is the police to enter the assembly?” the PML-Q leader said. “We will make sure the Inspector General of Police (IGP) appears before us and he will be punished for a month.”

    A tough contest is expected to take place between Elahi and PML-N’s Hamza Shehbaz, who is the joint opposition’s candidate. Both candidates, along with their supporters, had arrived at the PA in the morning.

  • Fact Check: Did Abida Parveen release ‘O Mere Maula’ this week?

    Claim: Abida Parveen released a new song ‘O Mere Maula’ in collaboration with the Indian duo Salim and Sulaiman

    Fact: ‘O Mere Maula’ is a new rendition of Abida Parveen’s 2016 song called ‘Noor e Elahi’

    Legendary Sufi singer, Abida Parveen’s song, “O Mere Maula in the collaboration with Indian musician/singer brother duo Salim-Sulaiman has gone viral across the border. It was uploaded on April 9 and gained over 300,000 views on YouTube. It is currently trending on YouTube.

    Bollywood actor, Pankaj Tripathi is also featured in the Music Video. He is known for popular roles in films, Mimi, Mirzapur, Bareilly Ki Barfi, Stree, Gangs of Wasseypur, and Sacred Games.

    The video is shot in three world cities of Mumbai, Toronto, and Islamabad. However, this song was actually released on Jul 5, 2016, with the song titled, Noor E Ilahi which is an earlier upload of the same music video, surpassing 19,000,000 views till now.


    VERDICT: FALSE

  • Islamabad Traffic Police issues 2,827 challans to unregistered cars, motorcycles

    Islamabad Traffic Police issues 2,827 challans to unregistered cars, motorcycles

    During the current year, the Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) issued fine tickets to 2,827 unregistered cars and motorcycles.

    The action was taken as part of a crackdown initiated by Inspector-General (IG) Islamabad Police Muhammad Ahsan Younas and led by Senior Superintendent Police (SSP) Traffic Rai Mazhar Iqbal.

    The ITP deployed special enforcement squads to check unregistered automobiles on the roadways as part of the crackdown. Special enforcement teams were stationed throughout the city to keep an eye on the movement of unregistered vehicles. Meanwhile, the SSP (Traffic) asked citizens on Friday to have their vehicles registered as soon as possible and to use only ETO-issued number plates.

    He stated that police officials would not be lenient in this regard. In order to maintain a smooth flow of traffic in the Federal Capital, ITP is taking strict action against vehicles that are parked incorrectly.

    Read more: PM Shehbaz rejects OGRA’s proposal, petrol price to remain unchanged till April 30

    All Zonal DSPs were directed by the SSP Traffic to ensure that traffic laws were followed by citizens by being polite. Citizens should be treated with respect, he emphasized, and he educated them on traffic laws.