Current Final

Author: News Desk

  • Sri Lanka cancels PM Imran’s address to parliament to ‘appease India’: foreign media

    Sri Lanka cancels PM Imran’s address to parliament to ‘appease India’: foreign media

    Sri Lanka has cancelled Prime Minister Imran Khan’s address to its parliament scheduled for Feb 24 after reservations that it could sour ties with India, reported Sri Lankan newspaper Daily Express.

    PM Imran is set to arrive in Colombo on Feb 22 on a two-day visit. He is expected to address the parliament of the South Asian nation during his visit. Pakistani leaders, including presidents Ayub Khan, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, addressed the Sri Lankan parliament in 1963 and 1975. 

    However, days ahead of the address, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena had written to the government, seeking a postponement of the event due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The newspaper reported that the speaker said that he was unable to ensure full attendance in parliament on the occasion.

    Daily Express, quoting unnamed but “reliable” sources, claimed that “sections of the government had reservations about the decision to have the Pakistan prime minister address the Sri Lankan parliament as it could sour relations with India”.

    “The sources believe India might apprehend the Pakistani leader would raise the Kashmir issue in his address,” it reported.

    According to English language daily, the Pakistani Prime Minister is coming to Sri Lanka to strengthen ties with the only South Asian nation with which it has consistently close and good ties. It is undeniable that Sri Lanka-Pakistan relations have been cordial and strong right from the late 1940s when both got independence from Britain.

    Sri Lanka is eagerly waiting for Pakistan’s help to garner the support of Muslim countries in the 47-member UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in which a hostile resolution against it is likely to be introduced in March. The resolution is expected to call for Sri Lanka’s reference to the International Criminal Court at The Hague.

  • Families of two accident victims pardon Kashmala’s son

    Families of two accident victims pardon Kashmala’s son

    Families of two out of four men who lost their lives after being hit by a vehicle of Federal Ombudsperson for Protection against Harassment of Women Kashmala Tariq on the Srinagar Highway, pardoned her son and driver on Tuesday.

    According to the media reports, the families submitted affidavits to the court of Additional District and Session Judge, Mohammad Sohail Fazil during the hearing of a plea for bail-before-arrest obtained by Ms Tariq’s son.

    The investigators had asked the court to cancel the bail and give physical remand of the accused but the counsel for the accused borrowed time till afternoon and brought the families of the two deceased, Farooq Ahmed and Adil, who submitted affidavits separately.

    As per the information on affidavits, “The car was driven not by Ms Tariq’s son but by the driver. They do not want any legal action against her driver and her son.”

    It further added, “For the sake of Allah, we have no objection over the release of her driver and son on bail, quash the case and discharge them from the case.”

    Later, the court issued an order stating that parents of deceased Farooq Ahmed and Adil Abbasi got their affidavits submitted.

    During the hearing, they were asked to come up one by one, and contents of the affidavits were read and explained to them in Urdu. All of them verified the contents and thumb impression on it.

    The parents had firmly stated that they had pardoned the accused and have no objection if they are released on bail.

    To nullify the case completely, affidavits from the families of the other two deceased and the two injured persons are also required, said the judge.

  • Bakery owner kills labourer, burns his body in bakery oven

    Bakery owner kills labourer, burns his body in bakery oven


    Police on Tuesday found the bones of a missing man from the oven of a bakery.

    As per the details, the 40-year-old labourer, namely Syed Jan Agha Kochi, was murdered, after which his body was burned in a huge oven at a bakery owned by suspect Malik Safeer near Dari Chowk in Khalabat Township.

    Police recovered the victim’s bones from the kiln and arrested the bakery owner Safeer.

    According to reports, the victim worked at a junkyard. He went missing on Sunday evening. His family registered a complaint at a police station and also posted on social media.

    Saddar Circle DSP Sajjad Khan constituted a team under Khalabat SHO Ali Farman to start the search for the missing man. Police found out Kochi’s daily routine after speaking his family, neighbours and shopkeepers close to his junkyard.

    All the clues hinted that somehow the baker was involved.

    A police team searched the bakery and its premises. To their horror, they found human bones inside the kiln, SHO Farman said.

    Police arrested the bakery owner and took him to the police station for the inquiry. Safeer confessed to his crime after police interrogated him, saying it was a monetary clash.

    Safeer had first shot and killed the victim and then stuffed the body inside the huge oven in which he used to bake bread, buns and biscuits. He kept using the same oven that had a corpse in it for making bread and then selling it to his customers.

    The suspect also told the police about the murder weapon. The police squad found a pistol and an empty shell. They also found the victim’s cellphone and other belongings.

    SHO Farman said that samples of the remains of the body will be sent to Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Peshawar for DNA test. The forensic experts will also give a report on the murder weapon, he said.

  • Mahira Khan says she is ‘lazy when it comes to finally deciding and doing something’

    Mahira Khan is stepping into production, starting with a web series titled ‘Baarwan Khiladi [Twelfth Player]’.

    The actor has set up a production house, Soulfry Films, with her friend and producer Nina Kashif. ‘Baarwan Khiladi‘ will be their first project together.

    In a recent interview with Gulf News, Mahira opened up about trying her hand at production.

    She said that the reason why she is getting into production is because it is something she always wanted.

    “To be honest, I’ve always been inclined to getting behind the camera,” she said, adding that she always wanted to direct or produce.

    “But I am also very lazy when it comes to finally deciding and doing something. My co-producer, Nina Kashif, gave me that push and it’s very small at the moment. I want to get my hands dirty with smaller projects first, make stories that get me excited,” she added.

    Answering a question about why she did not cast herself in the web series, Mahira said, “There wasn’t a role that suited me,” adding, “Maybe if I was younger I would have played a character in it.”

    ‘Baarwan Khiladi ‘ is a sports-based web series and when asked why she was getting into a sports-related genre, Mahira said, “I have to admit — I’m not a sports fan at all, so I could have never imagined wanting to make my first series about that. But when I heard the story and read the script, it got me excited.”

    Not just sports, she also wanted to work with the new crowd. “Also working with younger/newer people was something that I really wanted to do — be it the actors or the writer or the art director etc.”

    Mahira also opened about the process of choosing the cast for her debut project as a producer, “[I was] completely involved [in the process of casting]. Nina got both Shahveer [Jafry] and Danyal [Zafar] on board.”

    “We got everyone to audition for most of the parts. Sarmad [Khoosat] was a huge bonus because he is one of the main characters. I got Kinza Hashmi on board. That’s the fun of being the producer — you can put together a team that will enhance your vision for the project.”

    The series has reportedly been shot inside the Walled City of Lahore and Shahveer, in an Instagram story, revealed that the shooting lasted for one and a half month.

    The series will stream on Tapmad, a South Asian OTT platform, and is expected to release soon after the Pakistan Super League (PSL) final.

  • Malala calls out PM Imran, army over escape of ex-Taliban spokesperson

    Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai has asked Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan and the army as to how did former Pakistani Taliban spokesperson Ehsanullah Ehsan escaped Pakistan’s custody.

    “This is the ex-spokesperson of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) who claims responsibility for the attack on me and many innocent people,” Malala tweeted after a Twitter handle “impersonating the former TTP spokesperson” threatened her.

    “He is now threatening people on social media,” Malala said further, after which she went on to ask the military’s media wing and PM Imran as to how did the Ehsan even escape.

    While the tweet by Ehsan, which Malala was responding to, has been deleted as a consequence of account suspension by Twitter, in it the ex-TTP mouthpiece had asked her father and her to return to Swat, saying they still “owe a massive debt”.

    Ehsan is infamous for issuing claims of carrying out TTP attacks and has been linked to some of the country’s most deadly incidents of terror. These include the massacre of children at Army Public School (APS) Peshawar, bombing at a park in Lahore on Easter in 2016, and the targeting of Malala.

    He surrendered to authorities in 2017 and later gave interviews to a Pakistani TV channel, leading to criticism and controversy that a terrorist was given airtime. It angered many in the country who believed he was being pampered by authorities after years of helping lead a violent insurgency.

    Ehsan mysteriously escaped custody in February 2020, which, according to SAMAA, was also confirmed by the army.

    While the now-suspended Twitter handle bearing Ehsan’s name was rather active, it has been dubbed as a fake one by many, including PM Imran’s focal person on digital media, Dr Arslan Khalid, who reacted to Malala’s statement.

    “It’s a fake account @Malala and there is zero tolerance for extremism in Pakistan,” he tweeted.

    However, Malala’s father Ziauddin Yousafzai responded to Dr Khalid, saying that they know for sure that the account belonged to Ehsanullah Ehsan.

  • Matric-pass MPA to head KP’s law ministry

    Matric-pass MPA to head KP’s law ministry

    After the resignation of Sultan Muhammad Khan from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet, Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has appointed Akbar Ayub Khan, who already holds the local government portfolio, as the new law minister of the province.

    Sultan, who had joined the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf after quitting the Qaumi Watan Party, was asked to step down from his post by Prime Minister Imran Khan and the KP CM after he was seen in a leaked video taking bribes ahead of Senate 2018 elections.

    Akbar Ayub now has two portfolios. But the problem with this appointment is the minister’s educational qualification: he has not studied beyond grade 10. Geo reported that Akbar Ayub was given the additional charge of the law ministry because of his “vast experience in parliamentary politics”.

    KP Information Minister Shaukat Yousafzai reportedly said that Akbar is a veteran politician who knows how to run a ministry. “I am sure he will do well as the law minister,” Yousafzai added.

    This is not the first time Yousafzai had to defend his colleague over the latter’s academic credential. Last year, he defended the appointment of Ayub as the education minister, saying: “One should not question Ayub’s capabilities solely due to the fact that he had not studied beyond matriculation level.”

    Last year in Jan, Akbar was made the KP education minister. According to reports at the time, KP provincial assembly’s official website showed that Ayub’s educational qualification was matric. The same had been listed in an affidavit submitted by the minister, which also stated his occupation as a businessman and a landlord.

  • Bitcoin hits new record of $50,000

    Bitcoin hits new record of $50,000

    Cryptocurrency Bitcoin has hit a new record after its value crossed 50,000 dollars on Wednesday.

    The cryptocurrency was created by an unknown investor, and its values has risen about 72% this year.

    Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are generated by computers. Part of its supposed value comes from the finite number that can be computed.

    However, regulators and investors have warned about its high volatility. The values of cryptocurrencies can change fast, both upwards and downwards.

    Business magnate Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla and SpaceX, has bought Bitcoin worth $1.5 billion. He has said that he would accept them as payment for its cars.

    There is a strong opinion among cryptocurrency supporters that Bitcoin will replace gold in the future, as amid the COVID-19 pandemic, it was the top performing asset in 2020.

    However, there is an opposite view…

    “If that narrative comes to fruition, then the growth potential is off the charts as $50,000 per bitcoin equates to a market cap of roughly $931bn, which is almost 9% of gold,” said John Wu, president of blockchain company Ava Labs.

    “If BTC meets gold’s market cap, then that would be at least $500,000 per bitcoin.”

    Unlike other commodities, Bitcoin, however, cannot be used for anything else, merely bought and sold. This has made attempts to value it difficult.

    Many supporters are holding on to them in anticipation of higher valuations. Should they all sell at once, the price could tumble.

    People have lost large amounts of money in steep drops in the value of cryptocurrencies, hacks and even scams linked with them.

    British financial watchdog, Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), launched 52 investigations into alleged cryptocurrency frauds.

    There is another problem with cryptocurrency, it can pass international borders swiftly because they are not regulated, in a way cash or regular investments are; which makes investigating thefts hard.

    Last month, the FCA issued a stark warning to investors in so-called crypto-assets.

    The financial watchdog said investors should be “prepared to lose all their money” should their investment’s value collapse

  • Farmer buys helicopter to sell milk

    Farmer buys helicopter to sell milk

    An Indian farmer and entrepreneur from  Maharashtra has bought a helicopter to increase his dairy business. 

    Janardhan Bhoir recently proceed into the dairy business and decided to invest in a helicopter worth Rs 65,636,511

    According to details, Janardhan said he often has to travel to Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Gujarat due to his dairy business.

    He bought the helicopter on a friend’s suggestion because not all the ciites in India have airports so he had to travel for long hours to reach his destination.

    He also offered a ride in his helicopter to his village panchayat members.

    He has made arrangements to build a helipad with a protective wall on a 2.5-acre land. There will also be a garage for the helicopter, a pilot room and a technician room.

    The helicopter will be delivered to him on March 15. The rich farmer who has property worth Rs 100 crore also runs a real-estate business.

  • Aiman Khan says her 8 million following is ‘organic’

    Power couple Aiman Khan and Muneeb But got candid about their relationship in a recent interview with Ahsan Khan. During the interview Aiman also talked about her massive social media following.

    Answering a question about the change she felt in Muneeb after the marriage, Aiman stated: “I think Muneeb has become really happy after marrying me.”

    Talking about his relationship with Aiman, Muneeb said that marriages survive on understanding, compromises and sacrifices.

    He stated: “People say that males are more dominant in our society but let me tell you, in the cities, women are more dominant, especially in the matters of the house. You can’t dictate your wife at home. That’s her department,”

    During the interview Ahsan asked Aiman: “Is your following organic and did you aim to have that many followers or do you make content specifically for your account?”

    To which Aiman replied: “My social media following is organic.”

    “I created my Instagram account 5 to 6 years ago, when I was very new to acting, and I used to do commercials at that time,” adding that when she joined Instagram there were very few users on the platform.

    “I have never created my content specifically for Instagram,” she said, adding that sometimes she doesn’t even have pictures to post on Instagram.

    During the interview, Munneb also shared that he wants to play the role of a soldier in an ISPR [sponsored] drama, adding that he loves the Pakistan Army.

    Talking about why she started acting, Aiman said, “I wanted to do acting, and wanted to come on screen, when people used to see us together [Aiman and Minal] they used to say that we should act in dramas.”

    She further added that they both stated acting in commercials from a very young age.

    Aiman and Muneeb tied the knot in 2018 and their wedding broke the internet. They also have a one-year-old daughter Amal.

  • Pakistan, IMF agree on reforms for release of $500m

    Pakistan, IMF agree on reforms for release of $500m

    The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Pakistan on Tuesday reached a staff-level agreement over reforms that will lead to the release of around $500 million in funds, the IMF and the finance ministry said.

    The package strikes an appropriate balance between supporting the economy, ensuring debt sustainability and advancing structural reform, the fund said in a statement.

    “Pending approval of the Executive Board, the reviews’ completion would release around US$500 million,” the IMF said.

    Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh also confirmed the agreement on Twitter, saying that “overcoming the challenges created by the pandemic has required concerted effort”.

    “This is a good development for Pakistan,” he added.

    In a statement, IMF said that Pakistan’s progress under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) had been temporarily disrupted by the shock of the pandemic.

    “The Pakistani authorities remain committed to ambitious policy actions and structural reforms to strengthen economic resilience, advance sustainable growth, and achieve the EFF’s medium-term objectives,” the statement noted.

    Last month, State Bank of Pakistan Governor Dr Reza Baqir had said that Pakistan was in talks with the IMF to put the financial support programme back on track.

    “We hope to have good news for the market and the world that we are putting the programme back on track,” Baqir had said.

    Last year, staff from the IMF and Pakistani authorities reached an agreement to pave the way for a disbursement of $450m in IMF funds pending approval from the global lender’s executive board.

    Pakistan and the IMF have been working to implement IMF-supported economic reforms, in particular tax collection, aimed at stabilising the economy and shoring up a yawning fiscal deficit.

    Pakistan entered a $6 billion IMF programme in 2019.