With Ramzan underway, Mehwish Hayat has come forward to share “a piece of her heart” with her fans in this Holy month.
The actor recently shared a video of herself reciting the naat Karam Mere Aaqa. Mehwish shared that this naat is very special to her and she hopes that it touches her fans the same way it touched her. While speaking about it onPTV’s Ramzan Transmission, Mehwish also said that the first time she heard the naat, it touched her to so much that she started crying.
The naat has been penned by M Ali Zahoor while the music has been composed by Yousuf Salahuddin, better known as Mian Salli.
Watch it below:
I feel blessed that this Ramzan I am able to share a piece of my heart with you. This naat-e-Rasool-e-Maqbool (S.A.W) is very special to me.I hope it touches you in the same way it touched me. “Karam mere Aaqa” 🤲🏻 Composed & Prod by Mian Yousuf Salahuddin. Lyrics by M. Ali Zahoor pic.twitter.com/IZErIGvYtJ
After the pictures of the crowded marketplaces did the rounds on social media, celebrities are urging people to stay at home in order to stay safe from the virus.
Sanam Saeed, who was stranded in Thailand for a couple of weeks due to the virus, took to Twitter and questioned, “Do we really need to run to the markets for Eid shopping?”
Do we really need to run to the markets for eid shopping? Will we go back to our old ways without showing any change? Please ehtiyaat say bahir jaain. This is another crucial time since everyone is rushing out together at once. Maybe try celebrating eid differently this year?
Earlier, actor Ushna Shah and Shaniera Akram had also expressed disappointment at people for not taking the necessary precautionary measures.
Seeing footage of traffic blocked roads, congested streets and market places and hundreds of people without even a mask on. This country makes me want to cry
We all must practice social distancing and avoid going out unnecessarily amid coronavirus crisis and after looking at the pictures of crowded markets doing rounds on social media, online shopping is advisable. Here are a few stores that have men’s kurta under Rs 3,000 that you can order online.
Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Sardar Usman Buzdar has given his permission for coronavirus patients with mild symptoms to quarantine themselves at home rather than being admitted to a government facility.
According to a notification issued by the Punjab Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department, the Punjab chief minister, on the directions of corona expert advisory group and technical working group, has advised for following standard operating procedures (SOPs), devised by the International Health Organisation (IHO) for home isolation.
He said that the patient would be kept in isolation under the supervision of the district health authority concerned in his or her house where all necessary facilities were available.
He said that such hotels, school buildings, mosques, hostels and community centres could also be used for isolation where all necessary facilities were provided by the government which would also take the responsibility to disinfect the buildings on a daily basis.
“However, buildings, where cooling and heating systems can cause the spread of the virus, cannot be used for isolation,” he made it clear.
Buzdar said that solid waste of patients would be disposed of according to the given guidelines.
The CM said that food would be provided to the patient in only disposable packs. He said that decision of home isolation of any patient would be made by home isolation committee, formed by the assistant commissioner of the area and assistant commissioner or his representative, DDO Health and chief officer of the area concerned would be members of the committee.
“Population Welfare, Livestock, Excise and Taxation staff would monitor and report about the isolation committee and three isolation committees would be formed in one union council in which at least one doctor would also be a member of the committee, whereas one committee would be constituted in a rural union council with one doctor in it,” the CM said.
The chief minister said that the committee would also review space for keeping patients in home isolation according to the number of family members whereas the family would be informed about the SOPs before allowing any patient home isolation.
“The patient would be bound to inform the authorities about his condition on a daily basis and testing protocol would be mandatory for the patient,” he said.
The chief minister said that the period of home isolation would be for 10 days and for removal of home isolation conditions, the patient had to show at least two negative corona tests and after the termination of home isolation, another test would be conducted after five days.
In case of non-availability of the test, the patient would have to stay in quarantine for more than two weeks.
Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has appointed Major General Amer Aslam Khan as the deputy chairman of the Naya Pakistan Housing and Development Authority (NPHDA) while Brigadier Manzur Malik has been appointed as the executive director admin of the same, an Establishment Division notification revealed.
According to the notification, a copy of which is available with The Current, both officials have been appointed on a secondment basis, on standard terms and conditions, under Section 12 of NPHDA Act, 2020, with immediate effect.
Naya Pakistan Housing is a flagship project of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government that would provide housing facility to the homeless population, accelerate economic activity in the country and provide job opportunities to the youth.
Last year, the government had launched the scheme for the provision of five million housing units to low-income population.
After being stranded in New York for several weeks, Meera has managed to return to Pakistan on a special flight arranged by the Government of Pakistan to repatriate stranded Pakistanis in the United States.
In a video message posted to Instagram, the actor shared that she is back in Pakistan and gave a special shoutout to the Pakistan Embassy in Washington and the New York Consulate for assisting her. Meera appreciated the work of the Pakistan Embassy and Consulate in the US and said that they facilitated her – and all other stranded passengers – at every step. She also requested people not to pass negative comments or lash out at them because they are trying to do their best to help everyone as much as they can.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CAGl83fjaA6/
Last month, Meera had appealed to Prime Minister Imran Khan to bring her back home. In a video message, the actor had said that she was stranded in New York for the past two months and that she was running out of resources and funds to sustain herself. Meera urged the Government of Pakistan to facilitate her journey back home as soon as possible because New York was turning into a graveyard and she did not want to die in a foreign land.
Meanwhile, Ambassador of Pakistan to the US Asad Khan had earlier shared pictures and videos of the first special flight taking off from the US for Lahore.
Saw off the first of six special charter flights being organized by the Govt in conjunction with @Official_PIA for the repatriation of Pakistanis stranded in the US from @Dulles_Airport today. The safe return of Pakistanis stranded abroad is Govt’s top priority. @ForeignOfficePkpic.twitter.com/nDsnAfAOTQ
Saw off the first of six special charter flights being organized by the Govt in conjunction with @Official_PIA for the repatriation of Pakistanis stranded in the US from @Dulles_Airport today. The safe return of Pakistanis stranded abroad is Govt’s top priority. @ForeignOfficePkpic.twitter.com/fKleovUXG5
After Pakistanis moral policed the lead cast – namely Esra Bilgiç and Engin Altan Duzyatan – of hit Turkish drama series Diriliş: Ertuğrul and expressed their disappointment over their choice of clothing and living, Ahsan Khan has stepped in to defend the actors and urged Pakistanis to “at least spare the cast”.
In a Twitter update, the actor expressed his anger at the behaviour of the Pakistanis and said “Who the hell are we to do this to them?”
Diriliş: Ertuğrul, which was released in the country in Urdu on Prime Minister Imran Khan’s advice to “help youngsters connect with their roots”, has gone on to become a sensation in the country. As praise pours in for the historical fiction over the internet by both celebrities and the general public, fans have started following the show’s actors on social media.
Amid all the hype, a group of fans, who apparently do not understand the concept of acting, is having a meltdown because actors, who play different characters in the show based in the pre-Ottoman era, are much different in their real lives of the 21st century. These ‘fans’ have left hundreds of unwarranted comments on the Esra’s choice of clothing and have called her out for it.
Meanwhile, Engin who plays Ertugral in the drama series, has received flak for having a dog inside his house which these people believe is ‘haraam‘.
Almost all 371 members of the Punjab Assembly are at risk of contracting the deadly coronavirus as the speaker of the provincial house and senior leader of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML), Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, continues to chair assembly sessions despite coming into contact with Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari, who tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday.
CORONAVIRUS PATIENT:
As per the details, Mazari tested positive for the novel virus days after he returned from Dubai by a special Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight along with his two cousins just over a week ago. After landing at the Multan airport, they reportedly left for Lahore without being quarantined there.
“As their departure was against the official Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in wake of COVID-19 outbreak, Mazari had told a joint team of the district administration and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) that they would isolate themselves,” sources told The Current, adding that the deputy speaker, however, continued with his routine in Lahore and came into contact with dozens of people, including Elahi, his son Moonis Elahi, as well as property tycoons Syed Rehan Gilani and Syed Salman Gilani.
While Mazari claims he is following all SOPs and has stayed in self-isolation since after returning from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) despite his first test coming out negative, the above picture from days leading to the deputy speaker’s second test that came out positive, as well as an album shared to his social media account on May 4, suggests otherwise.
“He interacted with several people, including his friends, colleagues and Punjab Assembly staffers, until his second test confirmed that he had contracted the virus. All those people he met must have come into contact with hundreds of others,” sources said.
Speaking to The Current, Mazari confirmed all developments while clarifying his position. “I landed in Multan where I was received by the district administration. I told them how I had to rush to Lahore for a very important official meeting and was allowed to do so.”
He said he coordinated with the officials concerned in Lahore and quarantined himself along with his cousins at a local hotel as per government SOPs. “I stayed there until I took the test that came out negative. I shared my reports with the hotel management and government officials concerned, who allowed me to leave.”
“I was congratulated by Pervaiz Elahi Sahib and others over my reports and told to resume discharging my duties… and so I did,” the deputy speaker said, confirming that he went on to attend the meetings this scribe highlighted.
When asked why did he not follow government instructions as per which any international passenger who tests negative “will be advised compulsory self-isolation to complete a 14-day period”, Mazari said he did what he was told to and wasn’t aware of “any changes to the SOPs that have now been made”.
“It wasn’t until the first week of May that I tested positive, which was seven or eight days after my return to the country. Since then, I am in complete isolation and am doing fine.”
He went on to say that he had informed the Punjab Assembly speaker of his infection and advised him to get tested. “I think Chaudhry Sahib has also taken the test. He, undoubtedly, won’t take it lightly and ensure all precautionary measures.”
Mazari also announced that once he has recovered, he will be donating blood plasma to help critical patients fight the virus. “We must take care of ourselves and others. That’s the only way to defeat coronavirus,” he said.
MPAs AT RISK:
While Moonis Elahi is now in Gujrat, his father, who also met Mazari last week, is going on to chair the sessions of the Punjab Assembly for the past four days.
When contacted, Pervaiz Elahi’s close aide, who is also a member of the speaker’s personal staff, Chaudhry Iqbal, confirmed that the speaker had not isolated himself.
To a question, he said that Elahi had come into contact with Mazari but neither had he gone into self-quarantine nor was he planning to do so. “He is chairing a 150-member session of the Punjab Assembly right now.”
It may be noted that as per the SOPs for holding assembly sessions amid the COVID-19 outbreak, only 100 out of 371 MPAs are being allowed to attend the session each day so as to ensure social distancing inside the house where, so far, at least three staffers have tested positive for the virus.
The ratio of 52 and 48 has been set which means that only 52 MPAs from the government and 48 MPAs from the opposition benches can attend the proceedings.
The entry of guests and staff of MPAs is also completely banned while only the minister concerned will answer the questions of lawmakers during the question-hour.
The assembly secretariat has also installed a disinfection tunnel at the entry gate while lawmakers will use masks and gloves to protect themselves from the virus. Only those MPAs will be asked to attend the proceeding who have their questions on the agenda item.
After the coronavirus outbreak, India is also under strict lockdown to control the spread of the virus. Amid all this when people do not follow the social distancing rules, Odisha village panchayat in India has come up with a new idea.
It has hired a Bollywood inspired ghost to keep people stay at their homes.
Apparently, hired by the village panchayat, a sari-clad woman with chalk-white skin roams around at night to ensure that people follow the lockdown. Her payal makes sound ‘chhan chhan’ when she walks. Villagers get scared and retreat as soon as they see her.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HM56Jkm3AWc
On 24 March 2020, the Government of India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered a nationwide lockdown for 21 days. Later the lockdown was extended. India has reported almost 70700 coronavirus cases so far.
The armed forces of the country have sought a 20 per cent increase in the salaries of their personnel for the financial year 2020-2021, which will cost an estimated Rs63.67 billion.
According to a letter forwarded by the Defence Ministry to the Finance Division, a copy of which is available with The Current, the joint staff headquarters, in consultation with the services headquarters, has sought an increase in the salaries of armed forces personnel for being affected due to the current price hike owing to the impact of the devaluation of rupee on consumer price index (CPI), increase in utility bills and the persisting wave of inflation.
In the current financial year 2019-2020, a five per cent increase was granted to the officers up to the rank of brigadier (BPS 17-20) and 10 per cent ad hoc relief was awarded to JCOs/soldiers (BPS 1-16), whereas no increase was given to general officers (BPS 21-22).
Ad hoc relief granted in the pay of the officers has also been marginalised by enhanced income tax slabs due to which officers have to pay additional income tax from existing pay.
Consequently, the pay of officers has actually decreased during the current financial year, the document maintained.
Keeping in view the above mentioned factors, which have affected the fiscal space and livelihood of the armed forces personnel, joint staff headquarters have forwarded a case for the increase in pay duely approved by the chairman joint chief of staff committee to the Defence Ministry for taking up the matter with the Finance Ministry for the revision of pay of armed forces personnel.
The Defence Ministry had also sought that the adhoc relief allowance for the year 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 be merged in the basic pay scale, and proposed a 20 per cent increase in the revised pay scale in the upcoming budget 2020-2021.
Meanwhile, according to a Defence Ministry official, if the proposal of merging of four ad hoc allowances into revised pay scale is allowed along with a 20 per cent raise in salaries and pension of all employees, including civilians and armed forces, it will require Rs150 to Rs200 billion in the next budget.
