Current Final

Author: News Desk

  • MAO College principal removed over ‘negligence’ in professor’s suicide case

    MAO College principal removed over ‘negligence’ in professor’s suicide case

    The principal of Government MAO College, Dr Farhan Ebadat Khan has been removed from his post after he was found ‘negligent’ in the case involving harassment allegations against deceased lecturer Afzal Mehmood. His negligence had driven the lecturer to commit suicide.

    As per reports, Dr Farhan has been directed to report to the Punjab Higher Education Department (HED). Riaz Hashmi has been given charge of the college for now.

    Last week, Punjab HED had issued a summary after conducting an inquiry into the case, which expressed serious concerns over the attitude of Dr Farhan regarding the death of the lecturer.

    The summary issued by the education department had called for action against the principal saying his attitude was “very rude and lazy”.

    Reports further reveal that Dr Farhan had failed to take necessary measures to address the concerns of the late lecturer after he was proven innocent by the college harassment committee.

    On these bases, the education department had recommended the elimination of Dr Farhan.

    MAO College lecturer Muhammad Afzal Nadeem had committed suicide after a female student accused him of harassment. The allegations were later proven to be false.

    However, college authorities had failed to clear Afzal’s name by not issuing an official notification. Afzal, in his suicide note, had said that the incident had caused considerable damage to his reputation.

  • Sheheryar Munawar reacts to his viral interview with ‘The Current’

    Sheheryar Munawar reacts to his viral interview with ‘The Current’

    Sheheryar Munawar in an exclusive interview with The Current revealed that his engagement was called off at the behest of his family.

    When we asked Sheheryar what is the most daring thing he’s done, Sheheryar said, “The most daring thing that I’ve done is telling my mother, that I’ve tried once on your call and you yourself ended it. But this time, I’ll choose the girl I want to get married to.”

    When probed further, Sheheryar laughed it off by saying, “Akalmand kay liye ishara hee kaafi hai.”

    Sheheryar got engaged to Halaa Soomro in March 2019. Though the event was a private affair and very hush-hush, pictures from the event had gone viral.

    Sheheryar & Halaa with his sister, brother & brother-in-law

    Following the social media outburst on the news of his engagement, Sheheryar released an official statement on the matter.

    “I will not comment on a decision taken by my family. This is a private matter that involves two families, and I would like to take this opportunity to request everyone to give our families, myself and my ex-fiancé our due share of privacy and time to deal with this new development in our lives.”

    “I would like to thank my fans for all their love and understanding and members of the media for their continued support and request everyone to respect my need for privacy at this time. I will not be commenting any further on this matter,” he said.

    Meanwhile, when we asked him what he thinks is the most important thing in a relationship, Sheheryar said, “Loyalty.”

    “Loyalty encompasses everything. If you love, you love loyally. If you fight, you fight in a loyal way. Everything is loyalty because loyalty brings you trust and peace. It is loyalty that ensures that even if you fight, you won’t have the fear of losing them.”

    Check out the full interview here:

  • Al-Azizia case: Nawaz free for two-months as IHC suspends sentence

    Al-Azizia case: Nawaz free for two-months as IHC suspends sentence

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has suspended the seven-year sentence of former prime minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif for two months in Al-Azizia case.

    According to the details, the court on Tuesday resumed the hearing of a bail plea filed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif for former premier Nawaz Sharif in the Al Azizia case.

    A two-member bench, comprising Justice Aamir Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani, heard the appeal.

    Last week, Shehbaz had appealed the IHC to grant bail to Nawaz in the Al Azizia case — in which the latter is sentenced to seven years in prison — on medical grounds.

    A two-member bench of the IHC had heard the bail petition on Friday and after questioning Services Hospital Medical Superintendent (MS) Dr. Saleem Cheema, who is part of the medical board treating Nawaz, the high court had adjourned the hearing until today.

    However, on Saturday, Shehbaz filed another petition in IHC and requested the court to hear the bail plea sooner owing to Nawaz’s “extremely critical condition”.

    The high court then granted interim bail to Nawaz on medical grounds which expired today.

    It is pertinent to mention that the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday had approved the bail of former PM Nawaz Sharif in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case. The bail was approved on medical grounds.

    In light of this development, people are wondering if former PM will leave the country for further treatment.

  • ‘I fear we may lose Nawaz Sharif,’ Dr Adnan

    ‘I fear we may lose Nawaz Sharif,’ Dr Adnan

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo, Nawaz Sharif’s personal physician Dr Adnan Khan has expressed fear of losing him due to his critical health condition.

    In a series of tweets, Dr Adnan has said that former premier is critically unwell and is fighting the battle for his health and life.

    He also wrote that the poor blood sugar and blood pressure had also taken a toll on Nawaz Sharif’s health, adding that, “Pending Scans/Biopsies, diagnostic dilemma still ensues from multiple complex pathologies & co-morbidities.”

    “Thrombocytopenia (low platelet count) & NSTEMI (heart attack) is further complicated by deteriorating Kidney functions”, Dr. Adnan said.

    The chief executive of Sharif Medical City said that the doctors were also facing difficulty in establishing a definitive diagnosis and subsequent management poses a considerable risk to Nawaz’s health.

    Meanwhile, reports further reveal that the former Prime Minister (PM) had lost close to seven kilos since he had been admitted to the hospital. His weight was 107 kilos and right now it had gone to 100 kilos.

    Former PM Nawaz was shifted to Services Hospital Lahore last week for medical examination and treatment after his condition deteriorated with a sudden drop in his platelet count.

  • Cyclone Kyarr: Sindh govt imposes ban on seaside

    Cyclone Kyarr: Sindh govt imposes ban on seaside

    The Sindh government has imposed a ban on swimming or bathing at the seaside within the regional limits of the Karachi Division for eight days due to Cyclone Kyarr.

    In an official notification issued by the Interior Ministry of Sindh, people in Karachi would be barred from swimming, bathing and fishing activities till November 5.

    The provincial government has issued orders to Commissioner Karachi in this regard.

    The ban was imposed due to the flow of high waves and sharp tides as a result of Tropical Cyclone Kyarr in the Arabian Sea.

    Strict action will be taken against anyone found violating the order.

    Mayor Karachi, Waseem Akhtar has also declared emergency in the metropolis owing to MET office predictions about cyclone Kyarr.

    The mayor issued directives to the concerned authorities to remain on-duty and alert to deal with any unexpected situation that may arise due to the natural calamity.

  • Irregularities worth Rs7.44 billion detected in KP public departments

    The Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) has detected a large number of irregularities, worth Rs7.44 billion, in accounts of public sector enterprises (PSEs) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), a private media outlet has reported.

    According to details, irregularities include 42 cases of provision of funds, wasteful expenditure on a rest house and delays in claim insurance.

    Apart from that, there are 13 cases of less/non-recovery, irregular retention of development funds, irregular award of contract, non-depositing of interest, non-deduction of tax and 11 cases of irregularities of miscellaneous nature during the financial year 2015-16.

    The audit report has also noted that the provision of funds to the Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organization (PEDO) was in violation of KP Energy and Power Development Fund Ordinance 2016.

    During the audit of Energy and Power Development (EPD) Fund Peshawar, for the year 2015-16, AGP observed that the authorities released Rs6,977.13 million from 2012-13 to 2014-15 to the organization for 7 projects.

    The EDO could only utilize Rs490.49 million during 2012-13 and 2014-15 on said projects, and the release of Rs6,486.64 million by EPD Fund was done without proper assessment and resulted in the loss of interest income amounting to Rs421.62 million.

    The second problem detected in the PEDO was the irregular expenditure of Rs14.88 million incurred in the appointment of Chartered Accountants (CA). The auditors are required to be appointed in consultation with the office of the AGP.

    The audit report also noted the non-recovery of outstanding dues worth Rs.66.70 million from allottees of industrial plots by Sarhad Development Authority (SDA).

    During the audit for the year 2015-16, it was also observed that the management failed to recover the recurring charges on account of maintenance, water and extension from the allottees of plots at Industrial Estates, Peshawar, Gadoon, Hattar, and Nowshera.

  • ‘Govt wants a deal but opposition isn’t willing’, claims minister

    ‘Govt wants a deal but opposition isn’t willing’, claims minister

    Sindh Minister for Information Saeed Ghani has said that the federal government wanted a deal under the current political situation, but the opposition wasn’t willing to give it any relief, Samaa reported.

    According to the details, the provincial minister while speaking to the media in Karachi said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government was making all-out efforts to convince the opposition to make a deal with it.

    “But the opposition has decided not to give any kind of relief to the government,” Ghani added.

    He also criticised the government for poor economic conditions in the country, adding that if there is no corruption in PTI’s tenure then the question rises why the economy is declining instead of improving.

    “There is no example of such a decline in the 71-year history of the country, apart from the past one year,” Saeed Ghani said.

    Saeed said that the incumbent government made a record by collecting revenue less than the past year and made a record of cutting salaries of the people for the first time.

    He added, “They have increased taxes on petrol and diesel, despite having previously claimed to reduce them.”

  • Air purifiers that are effective and available

    Air purifiers that are effective and available

    As smog levels rise across Pakistan and Lahore reaches hazardous levels, air purifiers are selling out across the country. The biggest debate: do they actually work?

    According to research, air purifiers do work and have benefits. The demand for air purifiers is increasing worldwide and in 2022, there will be a 10.2 billion dollar global market for air purifiers.

    Air purifiers filter out harmful particles, kill germs and removes volatile organic compounds that can harm the lungs, liver or kidneys.

    In Pakistan, most air purifiers are now out of stock as Karachi and Lahore are facing the brunt of the air pollution. The Current brings you a daily smog level check at 7AM on Instagram and Facebook for your city and what’s really worrying is that Lahore has hit hazardous levels and Karachi is at very unhealthy – and about to get worse.

    Wearing smog masks can help protect you against air pollution and air purifiers are also a great investment. They aren’t cheap but worth it in the long run.

    Here are three air purifiers that are currently in stock on Pakistani websites and have been tried and tested by customers

    1. Smart Air Cannon Air Purifier

    Available here this small but powerful air purifier is effective for a room sized 323 square feet. It was effective in removing pollution particles and comes with a one year warranty. It is cheapest air purifier that is currently available, at 18,000 rupees.

    2. Beurer LR 200 Air Purifier

    Available here Beurer is a tried and tested company, with a popular humidifier range. The air purifier is sleek but according to reviews, it’s difficult to clean the filter. It is for 27,500 rupees and also has a one year warranty.

    3. Hextio Air Purifier

    At 60,000 Rupees the Hextio is available here. It has automatic settings where it detects air pollution and increases the level of the fan. It also has a two year warranty.

  • Art exhibition depicting Rao Anwar’s alleged encounters forcefully shut down

    Art exhibition depicting Rao Anwar’s alleged encounters forcefully shut down

    An installation titled ‘Killing Fields of Karachi’ by artist Adeela Suleman presented at Karachi’s Frere Hall as part of the Karachi Biennale 2019 was forcibly shut down.

    As per details, the art piece also included a video showing Naqeebullah Mehsud’s father and the scene where Naqeebullah, a model and shopkeeper from South Waziristan, along with two others was murdered allegedly in a fake police encounter led by former SSP Malir Rao Anwar in Karachi in 2018.

    A press conference of lawyer and activist Jibran Nasir was also interrupted by the DG Parks, who snatched mics and forced him to stop the presser.

    While talking to the media, DG Parks Afaq Mirza said, “making graves is not art but vandalism”.

    He further said that the park was for the public but not for any political activities, which should be conducted anywhere in the city but not on government properties.

    A very sweet gesture by the art students who tried to restore the artwork which was destroyed.

    While talking to The Current, Jibran Nasir said that at first the artwork was sealed and then it was destroyed. Later, art students restored the artwork but it was again destroyed by LEA personnel. Jibran Nasir said that he along with some art students are reviving it once again.

    Meanwhile, Karachi Biennale took to social media to respond to the situation.

    Speaking to The Current, artist Adeela Suleman said that she is an artist and was just trying to depict ecology of violence. “We could talk about how we have harmed air or degraded the environment but when we discuss how we have affected humanity, our work gets censored.”

  • Sialkot’s historic Hindu temple celebrates Diwali after 72 years

    Sialkot’s historic Hindu temple celebrates Diwali after 72 years

    Sialkot’s ancient Hindu temple witnessed Diwali celebrations after a long hiatus of almost 72 years.

    The Shawala Teja Singh Temple closed since Partition was opened for worshippers earlier this year on the directives of Prime Minister Imran Khan. Members of the Hindu community had long been demanding for the temple to be opened.

    According to reports, the historic temple which is believed to be more than 1,000 years old was illuminated by the Hindu devotees to mark the festival. Local Hindu leaders also cut Diwali cake and lit clay lamps at the temple.

    The devotees started Diwali celebrations with worship and rituals and prayed for the unity, peace and integrity of Pakistan.

    Tight security arrangements were in place to ensure that no untoward incident takes place.

    Made of granite and sandstone, the temple sits high on a sand dune in a congested, residential neighborhood. Over the years, the temple has fallen prey to neglect as a result of which the intricate carvings on the thick outside pillars have long faded or been scrubbed off by drug addicts. The sacred idols of Lord Shiva in the building have also been stolen or destroyed. However, work on the restoration of the temple is currently underway and officials say that it will be restored to its former glory.