Current Final

Author: News Desk

  • Tehreek-e-Labbaik to be banned

    Tehreek-e-Labbaik to be banned

    Federal Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed has announced that a summary seeking banning of hardliner Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) will be forwarded to the federal cabinet.

    “We have taken the decision to ban TLP under Section 11(B) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997,” he was quoted as saying.

    Under said law, the federal government can ban an organisation if it has reason to believe that the same is involved in terrorism.

    Earlier, the ban had been proposed to the Interior Ministry by Punjab government as Labbaik activists wreaked havoc with countrywide violent protests against the arrest of party chief Saad Rizvi.

    The riots have resulted in deaths of at least three cops in three days.

    THE PROTESTS:

    As per details of the protests, violence began late on Monday after police arrested Rizvi for threatening protests if the government did not expel the French ambassador, Marc Baréty, over blasphemous cartoons.

    According to police, the arrest was aimed at maintaining law and order. But Rizvi’s detention quickly sparked violent protests by Islamists in cities around the country. The protesters blocked highways and roads in several cities.

    The deadly clashes came two days after Rizvi in a statement asked the government of Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan to “honour” a commitment it made in February to his party to expel Baréty before April 20.

    However, the government has said it only committed to discussing the matter in the National Assembly.

    The reaction from Rizvi’s supporters against his arrest was so swift that police in Lahore could not clear a main highway and roads. Thousands of people were stranded in their vehicles.

    Monday’s clashes initially erupted in Lahore. Rizvi’s supporters later clashed with police in Karachi and they continued rallying on the outskirts of Islamabad, disrupting traffic and inconveniencing residents.

    Reportedly, five TLP workers have also died with hundreds of both cops and activists injured. Property losses have also been reported.

    It may be noted that the ban comes amid demands for the same by the general public as well as officials of government departments including the police.

  • Shehbaz gets bail; PPP’s Sharmila, in deleted tweet, accuses PML-N of camaraderie with PTI govt

    Shehbaz gets bail; PPP’s Sharmila, in deleted tweet, accuses PML-N of camaraderie with PTI govt

    The Lahore High Court (LHC) has granted bail to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief and National Assembly Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif in the assets beyond means and money laundering case.

    He had moved the high court for post-arrest bail in the reference — filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) — in March, five months after he was sent to jail on judicial remand by a trial court.

    The anti-graft watchdog had arrested Shehbaz in September after the LHC denied him further relief of pre-arrest bail in the case.

    On Tuesday, the bench, headed by Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar, adjourned the hearing until today as a special prosecutor sought to start his arguments on behalf of the agency.

    An LHC division bench headed by Justice Sardar Sarfraz Dogar heard the National Accountability Bureau (NAB)’s arguments on the bail application of the opposition leader.

    On Tuesday, Shehbaz’s counsel Azam Nazir Tarar completed arguments for his bail, claiming that NAB has failed to come up with any evidence to establish the charges.

    In his bail request, Sharif alleged the NAB proceedings against him had been prompted by mala fide intention, ulterior motive, and considerations extraneous to law.

    He said the registration of a series of cases in quick succession against him and his repeated arrests at the behest of the government had been a classic example of misuse of the process of NAB to muffle the voice of the opposition.

    He said the bureau failed to collect any evidence of any corruption, kickbacks, misuse of any public office for personal gain by him throughout his political career.

    SHARMILA FARUQI’S DELETED TWEET:

    As Twitter reacted to the bail, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Sharmila Faruqi tweeted to hint at possible betterment of ties between the PML-N and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.

    “Accusations of joining hands with government against the PPP and bail for Shehbaz?” she said in the tweeted that was later deleted.

    Tensions are running high between the PPP and anti-government Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), of which the PML-N is a key member.

    Trouble had been brewing between the two political entities ever since the government-friendly Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) supported PPP’s Yousuf Raza Gilani for slot of Senate opposition leader.

    Gilani’s nomination and subsequent election considered betrayal by other PDM members except the Awami National Party (ANP) was the latest bone of contention until the PPP and ANP were served show-cause notices.

    The same led to the PPP and ANP resigning from the opposition alliance. PDM chief, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, has, however, asked both the parties to reconsider their decision.

    CASE AGAINST SHEHBAZ:

    Sharif along with his son Punjab Assembly opposition leader and PML-N Vice President Hamza Shehbaz was indicted in November in the Rs7 billion reference involving charges of money laundering and assets beyond means.

    The reference mainly accuses Sharif of being a beneficiary of the assets held in the name of his family members and frontmen, who had no sources to acquire such assets.

    It says the family members and the frontmen of the family received fake foreign remittances of billions in their personal bank accounts. In addition to these remittances, the bureau says, billions of rupees were laundered by way of foreign pay orders, which were deposited in the personal bank accounts of Hamza and his brother Suleman Shahbaz.

    The reference further says Sharif and his family failed to justify the sources of funds used for the acquisition of assets.

  • Restaurant owner offers job to burglar who broke in to steal

    Restaurant owner offers job to burglar who broke in to steal

    A restaurant owner in the United States is winning hearts on the internet after he offered a job to a thief who broke into his restaurant and stole money.

    Carl Wallace, the owner of Diablo’s Southwest Grill restaurant in Augusta, Georgia, walked into his restaurant and was surprised to see the broken glass of the front door. He realised that his restaurant had been robbed and posted pictures of the broken restaurant door and the thief stealing a bag of cash.

    While Carl was initially very angry over what happened, he later changed his heart and decided to offer a job to the thief.

    Read more – Thief arrested after falling asleep in AC room during robbery

    “To the would-be robber who is clearly struggling with life decisions or having money issues…please swing by for a job application. There are better opportunities out there than this path you’ve chosen,” wrote Carl on social media.

     “No police, no questions. Let’s sit down and talk about how we could help you and fix the road you’re on. Sincerely Carl,” he added.

    Wallace’s Facebook post went viral and many praised his act, saying that this comes at a time when the restaurant industry has been hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and many have had to shut their business.

  • Babar Azam dethrones Virat Kohli to become number one ODI batsman

    Babar Azam dethrones Virat Kohli to become number one ODI batsman

    Babar Azam has dethroned the Captain of the Indian Cricket Team Virat Kohli to become the number one batsman in One-Day Internationals, becoming the fourth batsman from Pakistan to attain the number one position in the latest ICC rankings list update, released on Wednesday.

    The 26-year-old player of the match scored 94 off 82 balls in the last match of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League series against South Africa in Centurion which helped him gain 13 rating points to reach 865 points and he now leads the Indian captain by eight points.

    Babar, a star of the ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cups in 2010 and 2012 has been playing ODIs since 2015 and had started the series against South Africa at 837 rating points but moved up to 858 (ahead of Kohli) after his score of 103 in the first match. He dropped to 852 by the time of the last weekly rankings update with a score of 32 in the second ODI.

    By ending Kohli’s 1,258 day-supremacy, Babar has emulated compatriots Zaheer Abbas (1983-84), Javed Miandad (1988-89), and Mohammad Yousuf (2003) as the number one ODI batsman. In Tests, Babar has attained a best of the fifth position and is currently ranked sixth while in T20Is he is third but has been number one in the past.

    Meanwhile, Fakhar Zaman is another Pakistan batsman to move up the ODI batting charts, gaining five slots to reach a career-best seventh position after his knock of 101. Shaheen Afridi (up four places to a career-best 11th place) and left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz (up 29 places to 96th) have progressed thanks to their three-wicket hauls in the match.

    Babar had earlier overtaken Rohit Sharma to get to the second spot.

    Reacting to the news, Azam, in a statement, said: “I feel privileged and honoured to have joined the company of stalwarts like Zaheer Abbas, Javed Miandad and Mohammad Yousuf, who will always be the shining stars of Pakistan cricket.”

    “This is another milestone in my career, which will now require even more hard work and absolute consistency with the bat in order for me to hold on to the ranking for an extended period of time, like Sir Vivian Richards from January 1984 to October 1988 and Virat Kohli for 1,258 days,” he continued.

    The captain further said: “I have also previously topped the T20I rankings, but the ultimate ambition and goal is to lead the Test rankings, which are the real testament and reward to a batsman’s calibre, reputation and skills. I understand to achieve this objective, I will not only have to perform consistently but more importantly, against the top sides.”

    “I am looking forward to this challenge and remain confident I will be able to accomplish this target with the support of my teammates and coaching staff. But at this stage, I will savour the moment as it has come almost 18 months after I was first appointed the white-ball captain and that too at the back of my performances which helped Pakistan become the first Asian side to win two ODI series in South Africa,” added Azam.

  • Third COVID-19 wave: 135 deaths in a day set new record for Pakistan in 2021

    Third COVID-19 wave: 135 deaths in a day set new record for Pakistan in 2021

    Pakistan reported its highest number of coronavirus-related deaths so far this year on Wednesday, amid third wave of the pandemic that is putting the country’s health service under extreme strain.

    The government portal keeping track of the outbreak in the country registered 135 deaths in the last 24 hours — up from 118 a day earlier and the highest number of fatalities since June 20 — taking the total number of deaths on the measure to 15,754.

    According to the Ministry of National Health Services (MoNHS) data, 48,092 tests were conducted on Tuesday after which 4,681 people tested positive for the contagion disease. The total number of cases in the country is 734,423.

    Punjab recorded the most deaths during the last 24 hours at 79 followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) with 49.

    Sindh has been the worst-hit with 269,840 cases followed by Punjab where 255,571 people have been tested positive, the statement said.

    Moreover, over 80% ventilators are occupied across the country with around 700 out of total 5,000+ patients in critical care.

    Meanwhile, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) has issued revised guidelines for the second COVID-19-hit Ramzan to tackle the spread of the virus.

  • Shaniera Akram’s emotional note for husband on being apart is relatable

    Shaniera Akram’s emotional note for husband on being apart is relatable

    Shaniera Akram’s emotional note for Wasim Akram on being away for 145 days is highly relatable if you are someone living away from your family, husband or loved ones.

    Sharing a picture of herself and Wasim, Shaniera said: “145 days we have been apart! The longest ever. Although my heart is breaking everyday I have strength and believe that this world will end its suffering soon as there are those who have lost way more than us. InshAllah we have the love that knows no boundaries.”

    “I pray that everyone stays safe, wears a mask and gets vaccinated as soon as possible so that life can continue as normal,” she said further. “I will do my best to be a good mother, citizen and keep my charity and work to help Pakistan as much as I can from here. My prayers to those during this Holy month of Ramadan who are suffering, struggling, in longing or sadly saying goodbye to loved ones.”

    “Missing you Wasim, more than you could imagine. You are our everything,” added Shaniera.

    Read more – Shaniera Akram heartbroken over plastic mess on the beach

    Shaniera, who is originally from Melbourne, Australia, went to her home city in January and due to the coronavirus pandemic, she could not return to Karachi where she lives with her husband and children.

  • This public service dance by doctors will brighten up your day

    This public service dance by doctors will brighten up your day

    As the world battles against the third wave of COVID-19, people are tired and drained because of the pandemic. Amid this tough time, a group of Indian healthcare workers is bringing smiles to people’s faces with a public service dance.

    Humans of Bombay recently shared a video of a group of doctors dancing to upbeat music while observing COVID-19 standard operating procedure (SOPs).

     In the video that has gone viral on social media, the doctors can be seen dancing to a remix of Rasputin by Boney M.

    Read more – Woman dances after getting job, goes viral

    To fight the ongoing pandemic, everyone must act responsibly and follow all the SOPs. Wear a mask and sanitize yourself frequently, practice social distancing and do not go outside unnecessarily.

  • Mawra Hocane shares her most beautiful present ever

    Mawra Hocane shares her most beautiful present ever

    Actor Mawra Hocane shared her ‘most beautiful present that anyone has given her’ on Instagram. She shared a short video of a beautiful red Holy Quran, tagging Actor Ameer Gilani, thanking him for the present. She also said in the caption, “The most most beautiful present, one could ever give to someone???
    Ty @ameergilani ?” .

    The actor also added that, “P.s it feels like Ramazan already ✨ #Alhumdullilah”, in a post that was shared two days before Ramzan started.

    Ameer replied to Mawra on her post, saying, “All the guidelines to happiness, peace and success???.

    Ramzan starts in Pakistan this week, with Wednesday 14th April being the first roza.

  • Friendship ended with PPP? PDM removes party leaders from WhatsApp group

    Friendship ended with PPP? PDM removes party leaders from WhatsApp group

    A day after Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) finally broke silence on backstabbing allegations, expressed its reservations and later resigned from the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) along with Awami National Party (ANP), members of the parties have reportedly been removed from a WhatsApp group of the anti-government alliance.

    According to sources, Yousuf Raza Gilani, Sherry Rehman, Saeed Ghani and Mian Iftikhar were removed from the WhatsApp group of the joint opposition’s steering committee.

    This came as PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman asked the PPP and ANP to reconsider their decision of resigning from the alliance.

    Addressing a press conference after chairing an important meeting of the PDM in Islamabad after resignations from PPP and ANP, Fazl said both the parties still had time to reconsider their decision and contact the PDM.

    The PDM chief said PDM was an alliance of 11 parties and decisions were made with the consensus.

    “If any party is found violating the consensus then it must be made answerable,” he said while explaining the show-cause notices to PPP and ANP, which became the latest bone of contention after Yousuf Raza Gilani’s nomination and election as Senate opposition leader.

    Both the parties had the opportunity to summon PDM meeting to give an explanation on the matter, but they decided to part ways with the alliance, Fazl maintained.

  • Wheat production will break all records this year: experts

    Wheat production will break all records this year: experts

    Pakistan will likely experience an upsurge in wheat production this year as experts are giving projections on the surplus of wheat, media reported.

    A media organisation conducted surveys that say that Pakistan will produce over 28.75 million tons of wheat in 2021. This yield will break the record of 2016-17 when Pakistan produced 26.67 million tons.

    Over the last two years, Pakistan had to import two million tons of wheat to cater for the shortage caused by low harvest. If the projections come true, it will eliminate the need for any imports.

    On the contrary, the Federal Committee on agriculture predicted that the production would remain at 26.04 million tons while showing an increase of 1.7 per cent. The committee gave these estimations while reviewing the performance of Rabi Crops in(2020/21). But the farmers are more optimistic about harvesting a greater output of wheat in the 2020/21 season.

    According to the Punjab Agriculture Department, the production of crops on the provincial level had jumped around 600,000 tons.

    The news report quoted the Chairman of the Agri-Forum Pakistan, Ibrahim Mughal, as saying, “We have never heard so consistently about 40-45 maunds per acre yield by so many growers this year”.

    A conducive temperature when the crop was sown has resulted in favourable prospects for high output. “Safely, we may see at least 1.5 million tons of more production than the initial estimates,” he said.