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Author: News Desk

  • Punjab govt gives 25-acre army land to 47 civilian officials

    Punjab govt gives 25-acre army land to 47 civilian officials

    An approval has been given for the allotment of up to 25 acres of state land, which was meant for the families of the martyred soldiers and war veterans under the Army Welfare Scheme (AWS), to 47 civilian government officials instead.

    According to Dawn, the Punjab government has made the allotments without legal sanction on the orders of former military ruler Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf in contravention of merit and law. The report also quoted two officials at the Chief Minister’s (CM) Secretariat also confirming this on the condition of anonymity.

    The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government had cancelled the allotment, which had been ordered by the former dictator during January 2004 and May 2008 in alleged violation of the Colonisation of Government Land (Punjab) Act 1912 and the allotment policy framed in 1962 under it for the AWS.

    After the cancellation order, the PML-N government had also rejected multiple summaries put up to former CM Shehbaz Sharif for ratification. The land branch of General Headquarters (GHQ) had first approached the Punjab government in April 2009 to not revoke the allotments. The military was of the opinion that the “allotments made to the civil officials may be treated as closed chapter” and offered to work out allotment modalities for the future in consultation with the provincial government and the provincial Board of Revenue (BoR). However, Shehbaz had not obliged.

    CM Secretariat reportedly said that around 837 acres of the AWS land had been allotted to civilian officials without consulting the provincial government. The land had been allotted in districts of Bahawalpur, Pakpattan, Khanewal, Sahiwal, Muzaffargarh, Bahawalnagar, Rahim Yar Khan and Sadiqabad.

    The former CM rejected another summary prepared by the BoR in February 2012, as the then Punjab chief secretary noted that it didn’t augur well for the civil service and the overall good governance.

    According to the fresh summary approved by the Usman Buzdar government to restore and validate the allotments, the Shehbaz government had cancelled the allotments and retrieved the allotted land from the beneficiary officials in 2010, because the land was actually allotted to the military for a specific purpose under the law.

    Those who had sold the land allotted to them were told by the Shehbaz administration to deposit the sale proceeds to the provincial treasury. The provincial officials who had benefited from the GHQ’s decision were suspended while the matter of the three DMG officers who got the land was sent to the Establishment Division. Apparently, the Establishment Division did not take any action against them.

    The prominent beneficiaries include DMG officers – Sardar Ahmed Nawaz Sukhera (currently the federal cabinet division secretary), Dr Faisal Zahoor and Syed Imtiaz Hussain Shah. Ex-PCS officials who will benefit from the government decision include Mohammad Zahid Ikram, Sikandar Ali Bokhari, Syed Najaf Abbas Bokhari, Malik Mohammad Ramzan, Mohammad Ashraf Yousufi, Abdul Ghafoor Virk, Dur Mohammad Khan, Irshad Mohyuddin, Syed Zahid Hussain Jilani, Mohammad Ashfaq, Mohammad Akram Bhatti, Amir Karim Khan (currently PSO to CM Buzdar), Mushtaq Ahmed Anjum and Mohammad Azam Khan. The remaining officials mostly included district revenue officials.

    Eight beneficiary officers then filed a petition with the Lahore High Court (LHC) against the cancellation order of the Punjab government. In June 2013, the court directed the BoR member (colonies) to set aside the cancellation order and decide the matter afresh in accordance with the law after considering all the legal and factual submissions made by the parties and after following the due process as per law.

    The GHQ then cancelled the allotments in October 2013 in its papers.

    Officials at the CM Secretariat said as long as Shehbaz was there, no one dared to bring the matter up again.

    Later in November 2019, the DG Lands at GHQ wrote to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government led by Usman Buzdar for the restoration of the allotments, stating that “all the orders of president/chief executive of Pakistan were subsequently given constitutional protection and also upheld by the Supreme Court of Pakistan in the Tikka Iqbal case”.

    Strangely enough the DG Lands did not mention that the said judgement was overturned by a 14-member bench in July 2009 in the PCO Judges case.

    Two days after the receipt of the DG Lands’ letter, the BoR member (colonies) initiated a fresh summary for the Punjab CM, requesting Buzdar to “take an explicit decision whether to withdraw the order cancelling the impugned allotments”. The CM referred the matter to the standing committee of the cabinet on legislative business that in February endorsed the viewpoint of the DG Lands, GHQ.

    The CM later approved the allotments “as recommended by the standing committee subject to ratification by the cabinet” given last week.

  • Quarantine turns Adnan Siddiqui into Wolverine

    Quarantine turns Adnan Siddiqui into Wolverine

    We’ve seen Adnan Siddiqui essay a lot of roles on our TV screens but we never thought we’d see him as Wolverine from X-Men.

    Adnan’s son Zayd recently dressed up his father as Wolverine and the actor couldn’t resist showing off his son’s skills on social media.

    “This is the best time we can spend with our kids, how about letting them use their creativity on you,” wrote the actor.

    “Here’s Zayd’s depiction of Wolverine (X-Men) on yours truly. Master Zayd, making his debut in direction, styling, hair and photography,” he further said. “Liked his debut?”

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B_uniaeH077/

    Read more – Adnan Siddiqui regrets being on Aamir Liaquat’s show

    Last week, Adnan was involved in a controversy after television show host Aamir Liaquat made a callous remark on the deaths of Irrfan Khan and Sri Devi. After the clip of their exchange went viral on social media, Adnan regretted being on the show and apologised to the families of both the late actors for Liaquat’s remarks. Later, Aamir also apologised for his comments and said that he didn’t realise he was being insensitive.

  • PIA pilot, flight attendants, who brought 200 Pakistanis back from Australia, get coronavirus

    PIA pilot, flight attendants, who brought 200 Pakistanis back from Australia, get coronavirus

    One pilot and three flight attendants of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), who had performed duties on a special flight from Melbourne to Lahore, have tested positive for the new coronavirus — COVID-19.

    As per the details, the national carrier last month ran a one-off flight from Melbourne to Lahore to help hundreds of Pakistanis return home from Australia.

    With the country having blocked all international commercial flights since mid-March — a ban that’s now set to continue for an indefinite period of time — many of the country’s residents have struggled to find a path back to their homeland, making government repatriation flights a necessity.

    A PIA Boeing 777-200LR first flew from Lahore to Melbourne on Friday, April 24. PK8962 departed Pakistan at 5 pm local time, reaching Melbourne the next day at 10:30 am after a journey of 12 hours and 30 minutes.

    Allowing time for the crew to rest before the return leg, the Melbourne-Lahore flight, PK8972, departed at 1 pm on April 26, reaching the provincial capital of Punjab at 9 pm the same day, 13 hours after wheels-up.

    PIA’s Boeing 777-200LR jets can normally accommodate up to 310 passengers, but this repatriation service from Melbourne was capped at 250 passengers.

    Over a week on, reports say that three crew members of the special flight have tested positive for coronavirus.

    The crew members of PIA were earlier awaiting their COVID-19 test results and have now been shifted to Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Lahore. Among them are flight attendants Waqar Farooqui, Sofia Shaikh and Ahmed Ammad as well as first officer Shakil Akram.

  • Saba Qamar shares her fondest memory with Irrfan Khan

    Saba Qamar shares her fondest memory with Irrfan Khan

    Saba Qamar, who had the honour of working with Irrfan Khan in the film Hindi Medium, in a recent interview opened up on her time with the actor on set and shared that he sang a song for her the first time they met.

    “I’ve learned a lot from Irrfan,” said Saba. “Working with him was nothing less than a fan moment for me throughout. As an actor, I believe that acting is actually behaving truthfully under imaginary circumstances. And I actually saw that in him.”

    Saba said that her on-set memories with the late actor were all about “fun conversations.”

    “There was never a dull moment when he was around. We used to crack jokes with each other all the time. He always used to make me learn new things and give pro tips on life,” she said, adding that he was also very philosophical.

    Recalling one her fondest memories with him, Saba shared that on their first meeting, Irrfan sang a song for her.

    “When I entered the room where he was sitting, he started singing the song Badan Pe Sitaray…for me. I’ll always cherish the entire time I’ve spent with him.”

    Read more – Saba Qamar ‘deeply disturbed’ at Irrfan Khan’s death

    Saba further said that she wished that “things were better between our countries.”

    “I am of the belief that acting is a form of blended art that shouldn’t be restricted to a particular type or even a country. It should be assorted in such a way that even we enjoy it and so do our fans and audiences. It is this assortment which I miss. I’d love to do more movies for my fans if I get any opportunity.”

  • Quiz – Which lockdown type are you?

    [forminator_quiz id=”45968″]

  • DIYs to give dry skin soothing relief from constant hand washing

    DIYs to give dry skin soothing relief from constant hand washing

    As we wash our hands for so many times in a day and work through multiple bottles of sanitizer, here are a few home remedies to give your hands soothing relief from constant washing and sanitizing.

    Moisturize

    An easy way to counter the dryness that arises from excessive washing is by always making sure to moisturize hands after washing and sanitizing. Coconut oil is gives relief to dry skin and massaging it onto the hands before bedtime can be very useful.

    The ritual also has the added benefit of relieving tension from either household chores or work from home. Just press the middle of your palm, stretch out your fingers by interlocking them in and out and rotate your wrists inwards and outwards for added relaxation.

    DIY scrub for hands

    As all the salons are shut down until further notice and we cannot get any manicure. Home beauty treatments are a great way to self pamper and a good distraction from the daily stress and lockdown tension.

    DIY scrub is also easy to make. All you have to do is just mix ground coffee with honey and lemon and massage your hands with the mixture, leave for a few minutes and rinse.

    Read More: Hand care in the time of corona

    Step-by-step guide for a manicure at home

    Step 1: Add warm water to a tub-like vessel with salt, along with a few drops of almond oil (you can substitute this with any oil, or even aloe vera gel). Drop-in some mint leaves and some hand-wash liquid. Soak your hands for at least 20 minutes.

    Step 2: Wipe your hands and follow with scrubbing with a pumice stone. Rub a little bit of an alcohol solution after the scrub (you can use sanitizer for its antibacterial properties) and rinse it with water.

    Step 3: Clip your nails or file them as you prefer.

    Step 4: Use a moisturizer or specialized hand creams to complete, then neatly paint your nails

  • Did Sindh governor pass on coronavirus to an assistant commissioner?

    An assistant commissioner of Sindh’s Matiari district has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to lab reports.

    Saeedabad AC Ammar Hussain Rizvi was among the officials who had performed duties during the visit of Sindh Governor Imran Ismail, who tested positive for the virus earlier this week, to Matiari on April 22, Dawn reported.

    Rizvi, who is originally a resident of Hyderabad, has been quarantined in a facility located in his own office, an administration official said.

    Unconfirmed reports said he had come into contact with some pilgrims as well aside from being a part of the governor’s visit.

    Earlier, Governor Ismail confirmed on his Twitter account that he had tested positive for COVID-19.

    “I have just been tested Covid 19 positive, Allah Kareem inshallah will fight it out. @ImranKhanPTI taught us to fight out the most difficult in life and I believe this is nothing against what we are prepared for. May Allah give strength to fight this Pandemic inshallah,” he tweeted.

    The tweet was followed by Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan wishing hi a speedy recovery.

    “Praying for Governor Imran Ismail’s speedy recovery from COVID19. May Allah grant him the strength to fight this,” the premier had tweeted.

  • VIDEO: Trouble for Buzdar as coronavirus patients in Lahore come out to protest

    VIDEO: Trouble for Buzdar as coronavirus patients in Lahore come out to protest

    As Punjab retains its position as the worst-hit province with over 6,800 coronavirus infections, Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar-led administration faces another challenge as patients at the Expo Field Hospital in Lahore come out in protest, complaining against the hospital’s inefficient management and testing.

    A video available with The Current showed the patients bashing the government as they claimed that the services being provided at the hospital were inadequate and not up to basic health standards. They also claimed that due to the incompetence of the government officials, it could not be determined if many people at the centre even had coronavirus.

    “Sometimes we test positive, sometimes negative… it is going on for over 20 days. The only people who have been allowed to leave this jail are the ones who have paid Rs8,000 to a private lab for testing.”

    WATCH VIDEO:

    https://twitter.com/fatah_pak/status/1255926871734312960

    They appealed to the government to take action against the staff that had made the facility a living hell for them.

    Washrooms at the hospital are extremely dirty and don’t even have soap let alone sanitiser, Samaa quoted a patient as saying.

    Another complained that the food provided to patients was either stale or bad. “We have complained to the government multiple times but they haven’t even acknowledged our concerns,” he added.

    The patients have demanded that the government let them go home if they can’t be taken care of. Quarantining at home is better than staying here, they said, adding that living in these conditions will never pull them out of the disease.

    Previously, due to similar complaints, CM Buzdar had taken notice of the hospital, however, no changes seem to have been made yet.

    The provincial government had in April has set up a 1,000-bed field hospital in Expo Centre Lahore due to rapidly increasing number of COVID-19 cases.

    Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid had directed setting up Triage Centre at the Expo Center Field Hospital.

    Triage Centre serves as the point where patients are prioritised for different sections based on the severity of symptoms and their condition in emergencies. The government has set up a field hospital at the Expo Center where emergency arrangements have been made for COVID-19 patients.

  • Adnan Siddiqui regrets being on Aamir Liaquat’s show

    Adnan Siddiqui regrets being on Aamir Liaquat’s show

    Adnan Siddiqui has said that he regrets being on Aamir Liaquat’s show and has apologised to Sri Devi and Irrfan Khan’s family on behalf of the host.

    VIDEO: Aamir Liaquat jokes about Irrfan Khan’s death on TV

    In a detailed note posted to social media, Adnan said, “I don’t know how to explain what I’m feeling right now or what to say. But this needs to go out.”

    He said that he was invited on Liaquat’s live chat show where the anchor joked how Adnan worked with Sri Devi and Irrfan Khan and both passed away.

    “You worked in Mom and Sri Devi died, you worked with Irrfan Khan as well and he passed away,” Liaquat had remarked on the show.

    He had further said, “You were offered roles in Mardaani 2 and Jism 2 but you declined, so the actors of those movies [Rani Mukherjee, Bipasha Basu] owe their life to you.”

    Adnan wrote, “The anchor joked about something extremely sensitive. Not only were they both close to me but also as a human, it was wrong on so many levels. I cannot even call it ‘hitting below the belt’.”

    Read more – Adnan Siddiqui recalls the last time he met Irrfan Khan

    Adnan stated that Liaquat comments were very callous and showed him and the country both in bad light. The actor then proceeded to apologise to the families of both the late actors. He said that he felt very uncomfortable with Liaquat’s comments and regrets being on the show.

    “I’ve learnt my lesson and I promise I will not tolerate such an act in future,” he added.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B_qXys0HgfW/

    Meanwhile, following the backlash on social media, Aamir Liaquat also issued an apology.

    “Sometimes you lose control over your words,” said Liaquat in a video. “That happens in a live show. At the time it didn’t seem like a big issue but later when I thought about it, I realised my comments were inappropriate. So I’m really sorry. Keeping humanity in mind, this should not have been said. I made a mistake.”

    He added that if he doesn’t want to hurt the people of his country and wants to apologise to all those who were hurt by his comments.

  • Irrfan Khan’s wife pens a heartfelt note in his memory

    Irrfan Khan’s wife pens a heartfelt note in his memory

    Irrfan Khan’s sudden and unexpected death left millions of broken hearts across the world. The actor who had won hearts with his quiet demeanour and powerful performances left a gaping hole with his demise. Tributes poured in for the actor from across the world as his fans, colleagues and all those who worked with him remembered him.

    Read more – Adnan Siddiqui recalls the last time he met Irrfan Khan

    Two days after his passing, Irrfan’s wife, Sutapa Sikdar and sons, Babil and Ayaan have released an official statement in the form of a touching heartfelt note.

    Posted to Irrfan’s official Twitter account, the note celebrated the actor’s life and words. His wife Sutapa remarked that she didn’t feel alone and wanted to assure everyone that “it’s not a loss, it’s a gain”.

    “How can I write this as a family statement when the whole world is taking it as a personal loss?” read the statement. “How can I begin to feel alone when millions are grieving with us at the moment?”

    “I want to assure everyone that this is not a loss, it is a gain. It’s a gain of the things he taught us, and now we shall finally begin to truly implement it and evolve. Yet I want to try to fill in the things that people don’t already know.”

    “It’s unbelievable for us but I would put it in Irrfan’s words, ‘it’s magical’ whether he is there or not there, and that’s what he loved, he never loved one dimensional reality. The only thing I have a grudge against him is, he has spoiled me for life.”

    Read the full note below:

    Irrfan and Sutapa met at the National School of Drama in New Delhi and fell in love during their college days. They shared a common love for cinema and art. In February 1995, they tied the knot and were married for 25 years.

    In a recent interview, Irrfan had talked about how he wanted to live for his wife.

    “What to say about Sutapa? She is there 24/7. She has evolved into a care-giving and if I get to live, I want to live for her. She is the reason for me to keep at it still,” he had said.

    Sutapa, herself is a film dialogue writer, with films like Khamoshi, Shabd and Kahaani to her credit. She later turned producer with Madaari (2016) and Qarib Qarib Single (2017), both starring Irrfan in the lead.