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Author: News Desk

  • Three ex-army generals, Azad Kashmir PM among Nawaz loyalists booked for ‘conspiring against state’

    Three ex-army generals, Azad Kashmir PM among Nawaz loyalists booked for ‘conspiring against state’

    Deposed prime minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif, three former army generals, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister (PM) Raja Farooq Haider, as well as over a dozen other Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) loyalists, have been booked for “conspiring against the state and its institutions”.

    As per the details, a First Information Report (FIR), a copy of which is available with The Current, was on Monday registered against the PML-N supreme leader among others at Shahdara police station in Lahore, in which sections 120 A and B, 121 A and B, 123 A and B and 124 A and B have been imposed, among other provisions.

    The text of the FIR stated that Nawaz had conspired against Pakistan’s prestigious institutions by making provocative speeches while being in London. The purpose of those speeches was to declare Pakistan a “state of hooligans”, the FIR claimed.

    Among some prominent PML-N leaders nominated in the FIR were Maryam Nawaz, former PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Ahsan Iqbal, Muhammad Zubair, Marriyum Aurangzeb, Saira Afzal Tarrar and others, The Express Tribune reported.

    The three former generals are Lt Gen (r) Abdul Qadir Baloch, Lt Gen (r) Abdul Qayyum and Lt Gen (r) Salahuddin Tirmizi.

    A day earlier, Captain (r) Muhammad Safdar — the son-in-law of the PML-N supremo — was booked under sedition charges for “provoking the people against the state and its institutions”.

    While the PML-N has strongly reacted to the FIR, saying that it shows the government has been left “baffled”, the AJK premier says his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi “must be feeling elated”.

    “As an anti-India Kashmiri, I’m worried about my future now,” he tweeted.

  • PM Khan urges everyone to wear a mask to avoid spike in COVID-19 cases during winter

    PM Khan urges everyone to wear a mask to avoid spike in COVID-19 cases during winter

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has feared that the second wave of coronavirus could hit Pakistan in winter. 

    PM Khan said that though Pakistan was “spared [from the] worst effect of COVID-19”, a second wave of the virus is expected in winters.

    “There is a fear onset of winter could result in [the] second wave. I urge everyone to wear face masks in public to avoid a spike. All offices and educational institutions must ensure masks are worn,” said the premier on social media.

    Moreso, during the daily briefing held at the NCOC (National Command and Operations Centre) in Islamabad, Federal Minister Asad Umar also urged the public to follow the coronavirus standard operating procedures (SOPs) to ensure cases of the virus do not spike during the winter season.

    Earlier, Umar had said indoor restaurants and marriage halls appear to be majorly contributing to the COVID-19 spread.

    Pakistan has reported 315,260 coronavirus cases so far. 

  • Eman Suleman’s picture sends social media into a meltdown

    Eman Suleman’s picture sends social media into a meltdown

    Trust Eman Suleman to ruffle some feathers and send social media into a meltdown. The model, who is vacationing in Hunza, shared a picture of her husband kissing her on the nose with the caption: “Pahaar, pyaar, pappi (on the nose so chill).”

    Though Eman clarified that the kiss was on the nose, social media went into a meltdown and attacked the model for spreading ‘fahashi‘.

    However, Eman enjoyed the backlash and responded to the hate with humour. Her husband Jamil also had a sarcastic reply for the haters. All we’re going to say is you go girl!

  • VIDEO: PTI minister, senior journalist lose it over Mehwish Hayat’s new biscuit ad

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmaker and minister of state for parliamentary affairs, Ali Muhammad Khan, and senior journalist Ansar Abbasi have lost it over a biscuit television commercial (TVC) wherein actor Mehwish Hayat was seen dancing.

    Here’s what Abbasi tweeted:

    The tweet that sought action against what Abbasi said was an “obscene dance to sell biscuits”, led to a viral hashtag seeking ban on “vulgarity on Pakistani TV” as hundreds of others tweeted in its favour.

    Ali Muhammad Khan, on the other hand, added fuel to fire as he tweeted to call the same advert “anti-Islamic”.

    Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Science & Technology Fawad Chaudhry took a dig at journalist Abbasi as well as Minister Khan.

    “Why are you and Ali always digging out vulgarity? Try doing something productive,” he tweeted.

    This isn’t the first time Abbasi has made his way to the limelight with such a concern.

    Last month, he had drawn the ire of several netizens for urging Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, Federal Minister for Information Shibli Faraz and Special Assistant to PM (SAPM) on Information Lt Gen (r) Asim Bajwa to take notice of a woman exercising on state-owned Pakistan Television (PTV) News.

    Fawad had not let go of that tweet either.

  • ‘Chai Wala’ now owns a tea cafe in Islamabad

    ‘Chai Wala’ now owns a tea cafe in Islamabad

    Arshad Khan, who became popular as the ‘Chai wala’ a few years ago has now opened up his own cafe in Islamabad.

    In an interview with Urdu News, Arshad Khan shared he has now opened his own chai café and named it ‘Chai Wala’.

    “People suggested me to name the café after my own name, Arshad Khan,” said Khan. “But making chai is a part of my identity that I cannot let go of.”

    The café has lots of truck artwork with tables and chairs having a ‘desi’ touch to them.

    “There are at least 15 to 20 dishes apart from chai”, shared Arshad. “Running this cafe is the most important thing for me right now so I am giving this more time because it is attached to my name.”

    Talking about his showbiz career, Arshad said, “Two to four episodes of my TV show have been released. I will also give some time to that.”

    In the future, Arshad wants to make an institute where children whose parents cannot afford their education can study.

    Arshad Khan became an overnight sensation after a picture of him making chai went viral on social media back in 2016. Following that, he also did some modelling projects back then.

  • Saudi Arabia suggests citizens ‘boycott everything Turkish’ after Erdogan’s accusations

    Saudi authorities called upon citizens to “boycott everything Turkish” following a statement by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan where he accused some Gulf countries of pursuing policies that were destabilising the region, Gulf News reported.

    “The boycott of everything Turkish, whether on the level of import, investment or tourism, is the responsibility of every Saudi — trader and consumer — in response to the continued hostility of the Turkish government against our leadership, our country and our citizens,” Saudi Arabia’s Chamber of Commerce head Ajlan Al Ajlan said.

    In addition to accusing some Gulf countries of targeting Turkey and following policies that led to instability, the Turkish president had, during an address to the country’s General Assembly, also said: “It should not be forgotten that the countries in question did not exist yesterday, and probably will not exist tomorrow; however, we will continue to keep our flag flying in this region forever, with the permission of Allah.”

    Relations between Saudi Arabia and Turkey have been thorny especially since the brutal murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi that took place in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.

    Erdogan has said the order to murder Khashoggi came from “the highest levels” of the Saudi government but has never directly blamed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is widely believed to be behind the gruesome murder.

    Earlier this week, Turkey indicted six Saudi suspects in Khashoggi’s murder case. None of the suspects are in Turkey and will be tried in absentia. Twenty Saudi nationals are already on trial in an Istanbul court for Khashoggi’s killing.

    The indictment came weeks after a Saudi court overturned five death sentences issued after a closed-door trial in Saudi Arabia that ended last year, sentencing them to 20 years in prison instead.

    Recently, Erdogan also condemned the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain’s decision to normalise ties with Israel. After the announcement of normalisation of ties between UAE and Israel, Erdogan had warned Turkey could suspend diplomatic relations with the Gulf state in response.

    Turkey has had diplomatic relations with Israel for decades, but under President Erdogan, has positioned itself as a champion of the Palestinians.

  • Adnan Siddiqui shares his ‘starstruck’ moment

    Adnan Siddiqui shares his ‘starstruck’ moment

    Adnan Siddiqui may have shared the screen with international superstars such as Sri Devi and Angelina Jolie, but it is Humayun Saeed and Shaan Shahid who left him starstruck.

    Sharing a black and white picture of himself with the two actors from Humayun’s brother Salman Saeed’s wedding, Adnan said: “It has taken me 10 days to realise the full extent of being in the same frame as these two.”

    “I saw the photo being widely circulated on social media, among friends and colleagues but I couldn’t react. So starstruck I was with the moment long after it had passed,” he continued.

    “I am forever thankful to Shaan Shahid and Humayun Saeed —legendary stars of Pakistani industry for being gracious enough to agree to a photo with me, and also for letting me literally be the centre of attraction,” he added.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CF7TdYMnHfG/

    While Humayun and Shaan are yet to respond to Adnan’s comments, Aijaz Aslam commented: “Rula diya paglay“.

    Meanwhile, Adnan also shared that he will be reading Elif Shafak’s The Forty Rules of Love next after Prime Minister Imran Khan recommended everyone to read it.

  • EXCLUSIVE: How much money do Senators earn?

    EXCLUSIVE: How much money do Senators earn?

    Senior PTI leader Senator Faisal Javed Khan in an exclusive conversation with The Current revealed the monthly income of a Senator.

    When asked how much money he earns, Senator Faisal said, “My salary is 150,000.”

    Later, while responding to a question that ‘senators only enjoy perks and do nothing’, Senator Javed said”No, things have changed. It is true that they do not have any constituency but those involved in legislative business and committees, work really hard.”

    “Believe me, our days fly by in meetings, technical stuff, debates, overall legislative business etc. Sometimes we have a lot on our plate and have to work over the weekend too,” he continued.

    “Some like-minded senators of ours are doing a lot of things together. And there’s a lot to do,” he concluded.

    Watch the complete interview here:

  • Sajal, Ahad win big at HUM Social Media Awards

    Sajal, Ahad win big at HUM Social Media Awards

    The first HUM Social Media Awards Powered by Facebook were streamed live Friday night and while there were a lot of winners, power couple Ahad Raza Mir and Sajal Aly took home four major awards – Most Popular Actor (Male and Female), Most Popular On-Screen Couple and Most Popular Off-Screen Couple. The couple, in a video message, thanked and appreciated their fans who voted for them.

    Read more – Did you know ‘Ehd-e-Wafa’ was shot in 16 cities?

    Other winners include Atif Aslam (Most Popular Music Artist – Male), Aima Baig (Most Popular Music Artist – Female), Shahzad Noor (Most Popular Model – Male), Sadia Khan (Most Popular model – Female), Shahid Khan Afridi (Most Popular Sports Personality), Fahad Mustafa (Most Popular Television Host (entertainment)) and Zaid Ali T (Most Popular Content Creator). Aiman Khan was given a special award for being the Most Followed Celebrity of Pakistan. All the winners were part of the show via audio/video calls and special messages.

    Though the awards were virtual, they were not without some fun performances. Due to COVID-19, celebrities at the ceremony were limited and those who attended included Aiman Khan, Muneeb Butt, Ayesha Omar and Aijaz Aslam. Those who attended kept the viewers engaged with their antics. The highlight of the ceremony, hosted by Yasir Hussain and Mooro, was an electrifying performance by Asim Azhar and the Young Stunners.

    According to a press release, “HUM Social Media Awards Powered by Facebook is the first digitally based award show in Pakistan that has Facebook under its banner, making it distinguished and authentic in its true sense by recognising and encouraging deserving individuals working in the fields of music, entertainment, fashion, sports and content creation who have gained popularity over the years and have made their mark digitally.”

    “The criteria of these awards and selection of nominees was based purely on their social media followers/subscribers, interaction rate and content created between July 2019 to June 2020, using Facebook Authentic Tool. All the nominees were put up for audience voting via website and the winners were selected on the basis of audiences’ votes,” it adds.

  • Judge, sacked over leaked video, challenges removal

    Judge, sacked over leaked video, challenges removal

    Former accountability court judge Arshad Malik on Saturday challenged his removal from service in the Lahore High Court (LHC).

    An administration committee of the high court approved in July “removal from service” of the now-former judge on charges of misconduct after a year-long inquiry into the video scandal that broke last July, sending ripples through political and legal circles.

    READ: LHC sacks controversial judge who convicted Nawaz Sharif

    Malik challenged his removal and contended that the rules and regulations for the dismissal were not met, the management committee had prepared a report contrary to the facts and that misconduct was not committed.

    He requested that the decision be reconsidered.

    Moreover, a three-member tribunal has been constituted to take up the dismissal of the former judge.

    READ: ‘Judge who convicted Nawaz to be removed from post’

    Justice Muhammad Tariq Abbasi has been appointed as the chairman of the tribunal whereas, Justice Masood Naqvi and Justice Sajid Sethi have been appointed as members.

    Following the approval of LHC Chief Justice Qasim Khan, a notification was issued to form a tribunal to hear the service appeals of the judges of the lower judiciary.