Author: News Desk

Court declares NDMA responsible for Murree tragedy

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has declared National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) responsible for the Murree tragedy which killed 23 people, including children due to carbon monoxide poisonous gas in their cars.

The NDMA Chairman is Lieutenant General Akhtar Nawaz since 2020.

During the hearing, the court asked the NDMA whether a letter had been written to the Opposition leader to call a meeting of the commission. At this, the official said the Opposition leader had not asked them to call a meeting, reports Geo News.

“You have failed, it was your responsibility to call a meeting, you were responsible for providing a national management plan to the area,” the justice told the management member.

Justice Minallah said that had the NDMA ensured that everyone followed the law, such incidents would not have happened.

It is also revealed that NDMA held its last meeting on March 28, 2018. To this court chief Justice Athar Minallah questioned that, “It is a powerful body. How come no meeting took place since 2018.”

The court ordered Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan to call a meeting of the commission next week and directed the NDMA member to submit a report on the incident by next Friday.

The hearing was called because of a petition by Hammad Abbasi, a Murree resident. According to him, on their way to Murree neither were they stopped and nor were they warned of the danger.

January 13, 2022
Former cricketer Aqib Javed opposes PSL anthem

Former Pakistan Test cricketer Aqib Javed has said that every year a new anthem of Pakistan Super League (PSL) is unnecessary.

“There is no need for an advertising campaign; it is just a plain waste of money. Nobody wants to see singers,” the former head coach said while speaking to Geo News.

Javed said that money should not be wasted on songs, there is no star bigger than cricketers and fans want to see Shaheen Afridi and Babar Azam, not singers.

“But now, fans come to watch Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and other cricketers in action. There’s no bigger star than the cricketers. People don’t come before the matches to see the singers,” he said.

He further added that now there is no need for publicity campaign. Fans want to see cricketers in action and the song “Groove Mera” which is popular should be permanent.

Speaking about his team’s anthems, he said the franchise had released several songs, but none of the songs were as famous as the first one.

He said that the proposal of PCB chairman Ramiz Raja to hold a four-nation cricket series was good.

January 13, 2022
‘We are in this together’: Australian cricket chief says if team tours Pak, ‘I will go with them’

Australian Cricketers Association (ACA) Chief Todd Greenberg has told Australian cricketers that he will travel to Pakistan with them if the tour gets final approval but respects the wishes of “one or two” who might want to back out of the trip. If the team gets security clearance to travel, it will be Australia’s first tour to Pakistan since 1998.

“I’ve made an assurance to the players that they won’t go alone. If they’re going to Pakistan, I’ll be going with them and I think that’s important. It’s an opportunity to show the players that we’re in this together,” Greenberg told Australian publication The Sydney Morning Herald (SMH).

“The ACA accompanied Cricket Australia on a pre-tour of Pakistan late last year, and the reports were all very positive,” he further added.

“But we’ll continue to take the advice of DFAT and other government organisations, as we need to be able to satisfy not just the players, but their families, that it’s safe to tour.” International teams have been reluctant to travel to Pakistan since the terrorist attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore in 2009.

However, international players have competed in Pakistan Super League (PSL) and the West Indies also travelled to Pakistan in December 2021 for a Twenty20 series.

Greenberg is aware that despite security assurances, a few cricketers might be unwilling to travel to Pakistan but he won’t force anyone.

“There may be one or two players who won’t be comfortable despite the best advice we give, and that’s OK, we need to respect that.”

CA chief executive Nick Hockley is also planning to travel to Pakistan for at least some part of the tour, while the interim chair Richard Freudenstein may visit for a period to meet with his counterpart Ramiz Raja, unless a new permanent chair is chosen by then, according to the report in the SMH.

New Zealand and England had called off their tours to Pakistan ahead of the T20 World Cup last year, much to the disappointment of cricket fans in Pakistan.

Chairman PCB Raja had earlier emphasised that cricketing nations need to back each other but said that “western bloc” was not helping the cause. He said he was expecting Australia to do the same what England and New Zealand did to them.

It must be noted here that Pakistan will be hosting series with England twice in 2022. The Englishmen will visit Pakistan for seven-T20I series in September-October and they will return for a three-Test series starting in November, after the T20 World Cup in Australia.

Pakistan and New Zealand Cricket Boards are also in constant talks to plan a series between the two nations.

Meanwhile, the seventh edition of PSL is also set to kick start from January 27. International players from many cricketing nations will participate in the league.

January 13, 2022
Slow internet woes: Man sets fire to internet equipment, gets seven years in prison

Authorities in China have sentenced a man to seven years in prison for setting internet equipment on fire after becoming enraged by a slow internet connection.

According to NDTV, a man by the name of Lan in China said in a statement that the internet was so slow that he retaliated by destroying a public box containing optical fiber network cables.

In a court statement, details statated that “the man used a lighter to set a napkin he had on him on fire, then burned down a telecommunications box at a traffic intersection”.

Nearly 4,000 households and offices, including a public hospital, lost internet access for 28 to 50 hours as a result of the fire.

“After the incident, public security officials seized Lan’s instrument of crime — a lighter,” according to the court in Cenxi.

Lan was sentenced to seven years in prison for “disrupting public telecommunications facilities.”

January 13, 2022
Can only travel visa free to 31 countries, Pakistani passport ranks 4th worst in 2022

The Pakistani passport has been placed at 4th position in the category of the world’s worst passport for international travel in a list released by the Henley Passport Index 2022.

Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria ranked the top 3 worst passports in the world respectively.

Overall, the Pakistani passport ranks at 108th position in the world for the third consecutive year with visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 31 destinations around the world.

India climbed up seven positions and ranked at 83rd on the list this year. India had previously ranked at 90th place after slipping from 85 in the year 2021.

East Asian and European countries as usual dominated on the passport global ranking this year as well.

Japan and Singapore have been placed at the top of the list of powerful passports in the global ranking which allows travel visa-free to 192 destinations.

South Korea and Germany are placed in second place with total of 190 points whereas Finland, Italy, Luxembourg, and Spain gained 189 scores which made them into third place.

France, Netherlands, and Sweden moved up at one spot and joined Austria and Denmark in fourth place with a score of 188.

Ireland and Portugal received total scores of 187 and placed them in fifth place, and the United States and the United Kingdom rank in at number 6.

Since 2006, the international firm, Henley & Partners has been regularly monitoring the world’s most travel-friendly passports under the “Henley Passport Index”.

January 13, 2022
‘Never been hospitalised, activities uninterrupted’: Attorney General wants committee on Nawaz’s health

The attorney general’s office on Wednesday asked the Punjab government to consider establishing a medical board or a committee that could determine the current status of Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, reports Dawn.

In November 2019, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)’s supreme leader was granted one-time permission by a bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC).

In a two-page letter, addressed to Punjab Home Secretary Zafar Nasrullah Khan, the attorney general’s office wrote: “In order to initiate the process of verification in the light of the Nov 16, 2019, Lahore High Court order, the government of Punjab is requested to constitute a medical board/committee to examine the documents submitted as medical reports on behalf of the petitioner and Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif so that expert medical opinion regarding the physical condition of Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif and his ability to travel back to Pakistan is made available.”

The letter was written in line with the federal cabinet’s instructions to the Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Khalid Javed Khan to initiate proceedings against the Sharif family.

The letter pointed out that Nawaz Sharif’s “apparent present physical condition was available in the media”.

“Given the fact that he had left the country claiming to be in extreme critical condition which prima facie improved significantly after his arrival in London and the fact that he has apparently never been hospitalised and his political, social and other recreational activities have continued uninterrupted… indicate that severe ailment, if any, that may have existed in [the] past is no longer evident or [constrains] his activities,” the letter said.

“This is further reinforced by the public statements made and reported in the media by his close family members including Shehbaz Sharif and other political associates, who recently met Nawaz Sharif in London,” the letter recalled.

Earlier this week, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry, while addressing a press conference after a cabinet meeting, said that Nawaz Sharif was not seeking medical treatment for the past 17 months.

“Shehbaz Sharif was the guarantor of Nawaz Sharif,” said the minister.

“The drama of Nawaz Sharif’s health was created here,” said Fawad, adding that Nawaz went out of Pakistan through fraud.

“[PML-N President] Shehbaz Sharif is involved in this fraud. According to his statement, Shehbaz Sharif should take steps to bring Nawaz Sharif to Pakistan,” said Fawad.

“The Federal Cabinet has decided to approach the High Court on the false affidavit of Shehbaz Sharif,” said the minister.

January 13, 2022
‘Galti hogayi, jiska pasia tha wo’: Hareem Shah breaks silence on money laundering allegations

TikToker Hareem Shah has finally reacted to her latest controversy in an interview with a media portal. She clarified that the currency notes shown in the video are not hers and they belong to a friend of hers who works for a currency exchange firm in London.

She also mentioned that, “I have come to London for work and I made the video without thinking that It could create a furor on social media.”

She considers this a mistake and intends to learn from it.

The TikToker landed in a legal mess after her latest snack video released on the platform in which she can be seen sitting down with two stacks of British pounds. Showing the money, the social media star said that this was the first time she had carried a “heavy amount” from Pakistan to London.

According to the Federal Board of Revenue’s website, a passenger can bring any amount of any foreign currency to Pakistan but “taking out foreign currencies is permitted up to only $10,000.

Following the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) decision to launch a money-laundering probe against Hareem Shah after she claimed to carry a hefty sum of money abroad, the TikToker has retracted the statement.

The FIA, on Wednesday, announced that it has decided to initiate an investigation after Shah claimed that she had “successfully carried a hefty amount of money in cash to the United Kingdom” as against the law.

As reported by Geo News, the FIA has decided to write a letter to the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency (NCA) to take action against Shah.

An FIA spokesperson told Geo News that an investigation regarding Shah’s travel to the UK has already been initiated, while her travel and visa documents, a copy of which is available with Geo News, reveal that her real name is Fizza Hussain.

The agency said that Shah has herself confessed to laundering money to the UK, following which a probe was launched.

January 13, 2022
Kiran Naz slams Saboor Aly for viral kissing videos

Journalist Kiran Naz has expressed her displeasure on celebrity couple Ali Ansari and Saboor Aly’s affectionate videos that have been circulated from their wedding events. She took to her twitter handle to state her opinion.

عموماً میں شوبز سیلیبریٹیز پر تنقید کرتی نہیں ہوں لیکن علی اور صبور کی ہر تصویر میں بوس وکنار نکاح جیسی پاکیزہ تقریب کے رنگ میں بھنگ ڈال رہا ہے۔کچھ عشق گھر جاکر اور بغیر کیمروں کے پرایویسی میں ہوجاتا تو کیا ہی اچھی بات ہوتی۔خیر جوڑے کو شادی مبارک#SaboorAly
— Kiran Naz (@kirannaz_KN) January 10, 2022

She tweeted that, “Usually I don’t criticize showbiz celebrities but in every picture of Ali and Saboor kissing and kissing is adding cannabis in the colour of pure ceremony like marriage. Happy marriage to the couple.

Kiran wants the duo to maintain privacy while indulging in PDA.

Last week, the web witnessed the beautiful coverage of popular duo’s wedding. Fans loved their wedding coverage and functions, they loved the new celebrity couple and also enjoyed the participation of the bride and groom in their wedding.

Netizens gave a polariisng response to the viral pictures and videos.

January 13, 2022
Hareem Shah under fire for alleged money laundering probe after her new video goes viral

TikToker Hareem Shah has landed in a legal mess after her latest snack video released on the platform in which she can be seen sitting down with two stacks of British pounds. Showing the money, the social media star said that this was the first time she had carried a “heavy amount” from Pakistan to London.

According to the Federal Board of Revenue’s website, a passenger can bring any amount of any foreign currency to Pakistan but “taking out foreign currencies is permitted up to only $10,000.

Following the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) decision to launch a money-laundering probe against Hareem Shah after she claimed to carry a hefty sum of money abroad, the TikToker has retracted the statement.

The FIA, on Wednesday, announced that it has decided to initiate an investigation after Shah claimed that she had “successfully carried a hefty amount of money in cash to the United Kingdom” as against the law.

As reported by Geo News, the FIA has decided to write a letter to the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency (NCA) to take action against Shah.

An FIA spokesperson told Geo News that an investigation regarding Shah’s travel to the UK has already been initiated, while her travel and visa documents, a copy of which is available with Geo News, reveal that her real name is Fizza Hussain.

The agency said that Shah has herself confessed to laundering money to the UK, following which a probe was launched.

January 13, 2022
Imran Abbas spills the beans on his bond with superstar Ayeza Khan

Actor Imran Abbas recently hosted a Q&A session on his Instagram stories in which he got candid about his equations with industry fellows.

On being asked about bond with co-star and friend Ayeza Khan with whom he has given several hit dramas, he gave a humourous reply.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by (@imranabbas.official)

Given that Imran Abbas has done almost four dramas opposite Ayeza Khan (Tum Kon Piya, Mohabbat Tum Se Nafrat Hai, Koi Chand Rakh, Thora Sa Haq) it comes as no surprise that she is his favourite co-star.

In a post shared on social media, Imran showered praises on Ayeza, calling her his favourite co-star. He further complemented her by saying that she was “one of the most refined actors, blessed with immense talent and grace.”

The Chupke Chupke star stated in an interview recently that currently Imran Abbas is her best co-star to work with and tops the list of her favourite colleagues, “Imran ke saath bohat maza aata hai, pura saal me uske saath kaam kar sakti hoon. Koi bhi project dedo mujhe Imran ke saath.”

Ayeza and Imran have worked together in many successful dramas like Koi Chand Rakh and Thora Sa Haq.

January 13, 2022