Current Final

Author: News Desk

  • Pakistan’s first transgender-only madrasa breaking barriers

    One Rani Khan has set up the first transgender-only madrasa with her life savings.

    Transgender people have faced discrimination in formal education system, although there is no official restriction on them attending schools or offering prayers in mosques.

    “Families do not accept transgender people. They throw them out of their homes. Transgenders turn to wrongdoing. At one time, I was also one of them,” said Khan.

    Rani Khan was disowned by her family at the age of 13 and forced into begging. She joined a transgender group at the age of 17. She earned living by dancing at weddings and other events.

    However, she quit this work when a deceased fellow transgender persuaded her to do something for the community in a dream.

    Khan studied Quran at home and attended religious schools before opening the two-room madrasa in October.

    “I am teaching the Quran to please God, to make my life here and in the hereafter.”

    She further said that the school did not receive aid from the government, although some officials promised to help students find jobs.

    With the help of some donations, Rina is teaching her students how to sew and embroider in hopes of raising funds for the school by selling clothes.

    Pakistan’s parliament recognised the third gender in 2018, giving such individuals fundamental rights such as the ability to vote and choose their gender on official documents.

    Nonetheless, the transgender community remains on the margins in the country and often has to resort to begging, dancing and prostitution to make a living.

    Pakistan’s 2017 census recorded about 10,000 transgender people, though trans rights groups say the number could now be well over 300,000 in the country of 220 million.

  • Donald Trump plans comeback with ‘own platform,’ says advisor

    Former President of the United States (US) Donald Trump will reportedly be making a comeback on social media with “his own platform,” one of his senior advisors Jason Miller has said.

    Miller said that the platform “will be the hottest ticket in social media, and will completely redefine the game”.

    “This new platform is going to be big,” remarked Miller, predicting that Trump will draw “tens of millions of people”.

    Trump’s Facebook and Twitter account got suspended after deadly riots broke out at the US Capitol in Washington DC on January 6.

    While Miller refrained from sharing further details, he said that “everybody is going to be waiting and watching to see what exactly President Trump does”.

    In the meantime, Miller said that Trump will continue to endorse Republican candidates, hinting that one is expected to come on Monday.

    “There’s a big endorsement coming that’s going to shake things up in the political landscape in Georgia. It’s big, it’s coming tomorrow, and just be sure to tune in,” said Miller.

    The former president had nearly 90 million followers on the social platform.

  • Hira pens a sweet birthday note for her ‘Janooo’

    Hira Mani has wished husband Mani with the sweetest birthday note.

    “Haye Mani agar tum is duniya main na aatay tou mera kiya hota haye,” wrote Hira in her note. “Thank you for coming in my life. Bari meherbani“

    “Happy Birthday janooo,” she concluded.

    Hira and Mani do not shy away from publicly expressing their love for each. Earlier, Mani had also penned a sweet wish for his wife, calling her “Cinderella”.

    Hira and Mani tied the knot in 2008. The couple has two sons together. In an interview with Samina Peerzada, Hira had revealed that she had a big crush on Mani while she was in college and met him through a friend who was dating Mani at the time.

  • Qazi Faez Isa’s wife moves court for contempt case against Fawad Chaudhry

    Qazi Faez Isa’s wife moves court for contempt case against Fawad Chaudhry

    The wife of Supreme Court (SC) judge Justice Qazi Faez Isa has moved court for a contempt case against Federal Minister Fawad Chaudhry over a tweet by the latter.

    Sarina Isa’s application seeking the case against Fawad comes days after he tweeted that speeches were being made for the past one week, but reply would result in “concern” or “contempt”.

    The minister had said that those inclined towards politics must contest elections to realise their popularity and acceptability.

    In a later tweet, Fawad had also dedicated a poem to the judge.

    Meanwhile, “#IStandWithFawadChaudhary” is trending on Twitter.

  • Pakistan State Oil hires female employees

    Pakistan State Oil hires female employees

    To keep up with changing times, the Pakistan State Oil (PSO) has started hiring female filling station attendants. Sharing the news on Facebook, PSO highlighted the importance of workplace diversity.

    The Pakistani petroleum corporation shared pictures of the female employees on social media stating that the step aims to empower Pakistani women.

    “As the nation’s own oil marketing company, we understand that women constitute a vital part of our community and we undertake constant initiatives to empower them across our value chain,” said the company.

    PSO further said that they are “proud to have them on board” and that they plan to “increase their number”.

    Earlier, Total Parco had also taken the initiative of hiring female gas station attendants.

  • Sohai Ali Abro ties the knot

    Sohai Ali Abro ties the knot

    Sohai Ali Abro on Sunday tied the knot with Shehzar Mohammad, son of former cricketer Shoaib Mohammad and the grandson of legendary batsman Hanif Muhammad.

    While the newlyweds have not shared any pictures from their big day, pictures from their nuptials are doing the rounds on social media. The couple looked resplendent in shades of ivory and gold.

    Humayun Saeed was one of the few guests at the event and the actor shared snippets from the occasion on social media to wish the happy couple.

    “Many congratulations to Sohai and Shehzar,” said Saeed. “May Allah bless you both with lots and lots of happiness, prosperity and a lifetime of togetherness.”

    Sajal Aly also shared a lovely photo of the couple and wished them all the best for the new chapter in their life.

    “Bohat bohat Mubarak,” said Maya Ali. “Lots of love and duas.”

    Check out pictures from the event below:

  • UAE Royals brokering Pak-India peace: Bloomberg

    About 24 hours after military chiefs from Pakistan and India surprised the world last month with a rare joint commitment to respect a 2003 cease-fire agreement, the top diplomat of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) popped over to New Delhi for a quick one-day visit.

    The official UAE readout of the Feb 26 meeting gave few clues of what Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed spoke about with Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, noting they “discussed all regional and international issues of common interest and exchanged views on them.”

    Yet behind closed doors, the Pakistan-India ceasefire marked a milestone in secret talks brokered by the UAE that began months earlier, according to officials aware of the situation who asked not to be identified. The cease-fire, one said, is only the beginning of a larger roadmap to forge a lasting peace between the neighbors, both of which have nuclear weapons and spar regularly over a decades-old territory dispute.

    The next step in the process, the official said, involves both sides reinstating envoys in Islamabad and New Delhi, who were pulled in 2019 after Pakistan protested India’s move to revoke seven decades of autonomy for the disputed Muslim-majority state of Jammu and Kashmir.

    The article originally appeared on Bloomberg 

  • VIDEO: Waitress quits job on spot after customer refuses to wear mask

    VIDEO: Waitress quits job on spot after customer refuses to wear mask

    A waitress in the United States quit her job on the spot after a customer refused to wear a face mask.

    In a video doing the rounds on social media, a couple can be seen entering a restaurant. The woman was not wearing a mask so a waitress came up to her and requested her to wear her mask.

    The customer kept arguing with her telling her that she will go to her table quickly. She was told that she will only be allowed once she puts on her mask in response to which the customer said that she does not want to spoil her lipstick. 

    Later, the manager came and tried to convince the customer, who continued to resist.

    The waitress then said: “It’s people like you who make it difficult for having a job. I don’t get paid enough to be here.”

    She took off her apron and cap and told the manager that all this “is not even her fault” and then she left the restaurant stating that she quit.

    The customer agreed to wear the mask after the waitress left.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBBrZvdeHKw&t=65s

  • LHC suspends court order directing FIR against Babar Azam

    The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday suspended a court order, directing the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to register a case against Pakistan skipper Babar Azam over a harassment allegation.

    In the petition, Azam’s lawyer told the court that the trial court did not listen to his client’s point of view. He added that his client was innocent and appealed to the court for justice.

    The LHC, while suspending the order, directed the FIA to submit its response in the case within two weeks and issued a notice to complainant Hameeza Mukhtar.

    In his petition, Azam’s lawyer also appealed that he was an international cricketer and the captain of the national cricket team in all three formats. It contended that the order passed by the sessions court was an “unreasoned, non-speaking order”.

    The court directed the complainant to present her stance in person or through her lawyer.

    The Pakistan team skipper had challenged an order by a sessions court, directing the FIA to register a case against him under the cybercrime law on the harassment complaint.

    Mukhtar, in her petition, had accused Azam and two women of harassing her and sending her death threats via WhatsApp through different mobile numbers.

    She said she was continuously blackmailed by the suspects, adding that they threatened to upload fake pictures of her on social media if she did not accept their demands.

    The FIA in its report filed with the court said the cricketer did not appear before the investigating officer; however, his elder brother appeared and sought time on behalf of the defendant to record a statement.

    “Since, a regular inquiry has been commenced with respect to the complaint of the petitioner. Thus, the respondent (FIA) is directed to proceed further with respect to registration of FIR against the culprits within the stipulated time after committing legal formalities,” the sessions court had said in the order.

    Earlier, Mukhtar levelled allegations of abortion and deceitful intercourse on the false assurance of marriage against the cricketer.

    She accused Azam of maintaining illicit relations and making false promises of marriage. She also alleged that she got pregnant in 2015 with Azam’s baby but on his wish, got it aborted. Later, they reportedly reconciled.

  • Pakistan’s first tourism TV channel goes live

    Pakistan’s first tourism TV channel goes live

    Pakistan has launched its first satellite TV channel ‘Discover Pakistan‘ to boost national tourism in the country.

    Announcing the news of the channel on social media, the management of Discover Pakistan said that the TV channel aims to highlight Pakistan’s soft image with documentaries and coverage of tourism-related events and travelogues.

    Discover Pakistan will broadcast its content in HD (high definition) to project the country’s natural wonders around the world.

    The management has urged the citizens to ask their cable operators to initiate broadcasting the channel.

    As per Prime Minister Imran Khan’s vision, the Discover Pakistan TV channel had been in the pipeline since 2017.

    Prime Minister Imran Khan on August 26 last year had formed a 12-member National Coordination Committee on tourism to facilitate and coordinate the government’s commitment to give tourism a priority in mainstream development.

    The committee was made to oversee and review the implementation of national tourism strategy and integration of provincial and regional policies.