The provincial government has announced that all public and private schools across Sindh will remain closed on Monday, August 26, to mark the Chehlum of Imam Hussain (RA).
The official notification states that a steering committee of the Sindh education department decided on the closure of educational institutes.
The event marks the 40-day mourning period after the martyrdom date of Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA) and his 72 companions in the Battle of Karbala on the 10th of Muharram.
A close aide of former ISI Chief Gen (retd) Faiz Hameed, Mohsin Habib Warraich, has allegedly left Pakistan to evade investigations by authorities after the military arrested Hameed on August 12.
Mohsin Habib Warraich is the son of Major (R) Habibullah Warraich, a former MNA and federal minister of defence production.
He is also the main person of interest in the over Rs2 billion National Insurance Company Limited (NICL) scam.
The News reported that he was self-exiled in London for a few years since 2010, until Gen Faiz brought him back to the country, allegedly giving him protection.
He is believed to be one of Faiz’s closest aides, who managed his businesses from 2014 up till now.
Mohsin arranged various things for Faiz, including shopping sprees and entertainment, according to The News.
Security sources confirmed to The News that after his return to Pakistan, Mohsin was bestowed with a clean chit while enjoying round-the-clock security arranged by Gen Faiz at the expense of Pakistani taxpayers.
Hearing a petition challenging the ban on the media coverage of Imran Khan’s trial in jail, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) criticised prison administration for not letting journalists cover the court trial.
A petition said that despite following the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), the jail administration barred them from covering the court trial.
IHC Justice Mian Gul Hassan stated that trial court judges have the authority to regulate media instead of jail administration.
Justice Hassan advised the jail administration to allow seven journalists appointed by the IHC to cover the court trial of former Prime Minister Pakistan Imran Khan.
The court also advised journalists not to interview Imran Khan during court proceedings in jail.
The Supreme Court of Pakistan has rejected the Pakistan Army’s claim over the ownership of Margalla National Park land in the renowned Monal restaurant closure case.
Interestingly, the military department, Remount, Veterinary and Farms Directorate of Pakistan Army (RV&F Directorate), tried to claim the land’s ownership by more than a 100-year-old alleged fact that the said land was used by then-British Army for “production of hay for animals.”
In January 2022, the then Chief Justice of Islamabad High Court Athar Minallah also declared RV&F’s claim regarding the 8,068 acres of land in the notified National Park area to be in violation of law.
“Permitting land use does not confer its ownership, nor could ownership have been conferred on the Directorate, a non-legal entity. It also escaped the attention of the personnel of the Directorate that the only concerned statutory entity was the Wildlife Board,” read the 25-page detailed judgement by CJP Qazi Faez Isa.
The judgement also noted that the claim by RV&F to the National Park was on a very weak premise that in the 1910, the Veterinary, Remount and Farms unit of the British Army was allowed to use some land of the National Park for fodder.
“The Federal Government was correct in disabusing Major General Muhammad Samrez Salik and the Directorate of their fanciful notion that a 110-year-old permission to collect fodder did not nor could bestow ownership rights to such land,” noted the judgement.
Moreover, the court also noted that Luqman Ali Afzal, the owner of Monal restaurant, was bestowed the favour of a 17-year lease of the land by the RV&F Directorate signed by Major General Muhammad Samrez Salik.
The judgement also stated that no record was available to show that “the Federal Government has given any approval to execute the said Lease Agreement.” However, Afzal continued to assert the Directorate’s alleged rights.
According to the CJP Isa’s judgment, Mr Afzal unilaterally set aside the Capital Development Autority (CDA), his actual Lessor (who leased the land to Afzal), and the CDA lease while, according to his own whims, electing the Directorate as his lessor.
The Chief Justice also noted that Luqman Ali Afzal had gotten possession of the land from the CDA according to the CDA Lease, and he was legally bound to pay rent to the CDA. However, he stopped paying rent to the CDA and had the audacity to seek a refund of the rent already paid to the CDA.
“Rarely such audaciousness and complete disregard of the law has been witnessed,” read the judgement.
“Afzal apparently cultivated and developed relationships with the powerful, and his brother was in the bureaucracy and then rose to the highest position. Therefore, he may have deluded himself in assuming that he was above the law. He violated the law for years and expanded his restaurant by encroaching into and destroying the National Park. The protected status of the National Park was of no consequence to him and to the government servants who supported him,” read the damning judgment in the Monal restaurant closure case.
It also stated that Mr Afzal flouted the laws for eighteen years and had been given every opportunity to comply with them.
“Money, connections, influence and/or nepotism supplanted the law and the protected status of the National Park, first by getting CDA to execute the CDA Lease and then the Directorate to execute the FV&FD Lease. Every opportunity was given to Mr Afzal to comply with the law, which he had been continuously flouting for eighteen years. Probably it finally dawned that this Court would ensure the law is abided by and that it would also ensure that the National Park is protected, which made him and the other restaurant owners pause and reflect,” said the detailed judgement.
“The National Park land has over the years been encroached upon, which could only have happened with the involvement of the officers of CDA and other senior bureaucrats,” revealed the order.
“The National Park land is under grave and imminent danger. The rich, powerful and well-connected want to wrest it away for personal use and/or gain. This must stop. The people cannot be deprived of the National Park, its flora and fauna, and of the benefits of this amazing national asset,” wrote CJP Isa.
Bollywood actor Emraan Hashmi is known for many things but being religious isn’t one of them.
For some time now, speculation in Indian media, including on social media, has created the rumor that he is a Hafiz-e-Quran.
According to Indian media, these rumors started last year when Pakistani actress Humaima Malik mentioned in an interview, “Emraan Hashmi remembered some Quranic verses and used to recite them with me during shootings.”
However, a few days ago, Emraan Hashmi denied the claims during a podcast, a video of which has gone viral on social media.
“There is no truth in these claims; it is not like that, and I am not a Hafiz-e-Quran.” The Hindu host then asked him to explain what Hafiz-e-Quran means.
He replied, “Hafiz-e-Quran means someone who can recite the holy book correctly and accurately without looking at it.”
Pakistan boxer Muhammad Wasim will likely miss the World Boxing Federation (WBF) bantamweight title fight in Malta after delays in Danish embassy releasing his passport.
Boxer wrote a message on X (formerly Twitter), tagging Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz, stating, “Honorable @MaryamNSharif, I am in a stressful situation, so I get my passport back so I can travel and join my training camp in the UK. I have a fight coming up with my passport stuck, and I need help from the Government of Pakistan.”
He submitted his passport on July 22 for Denmark visa. With the fight near, he is likely to miss the training camp because of the delayed passport.
Inside details of the meeting between Pakistan Prime Minister (PM) Shahbaz Sharif and the Chairman of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari have been unveiled.
The incumbent government has taken a PPP delegation, including former diplomat Sherry Rahman, former Prime Minister Pakistan Raja Parvez Ashraf, and Naveed Qamar, in confidence regarding legislation to be presented in the National Assembly on Monday.
Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) members included the Prime Minister’s Special Assistant for Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.
PPP complained to the government that they were being neglected in Punjab.
Rehabilitation and relief activities for flood victims in Sindh was also discussed during the meeting.
Green TV’s highly anticipated drama ‘Duniyapur’ is all set to captivate audiences with its powerful storyline. The cast includes Ramsha Khan, Khushal Khan, Sami Khan, Shamyl Khan, Hussain Shah, and Nayyar Ejaz.
The drama is written by Radain Shah and directed by Shahid Shafaat.
Duniyapur is a drama about a violent place where people fight for power and survival. Trust is broken, and violence is everywhere. It’s a thrilling show about ambition, betrayal, and staying alive.
The date and timing of the drama are not announced yet. Stay tuned for more updates.
A murder case has been filed against Bangladesh’s star cricket all-rounder and former Awami League Member of Parliament Shakib Al Hasan in Dhaka.
Bangladeshi media reports that authorities have charged him along with former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for the murder of an employee of a garment factory in Dhaka.
Hasina resigned from the Prime Minister post on August 5 after student protests led to widespread unrest. She is now in India. The cricketer is representing his national team in the Rawalpindi Test against Pakistan.
The entire country is stunned by the horrific accident involving Natasha, a woman from an influential background. Her over speeding SUV hit a couple of vehicles, injuring five individuals and killing a father, daughter riding on their bike on Monday (August 19).
Many people believe that while the victims’ families may receive compensation, true justice will not be delivered.
Renowned actress Bushra Ansari also spoke out against elitism and addiction in response to the tragedy. She criticised the culture in which individuals turn to drugs to deal with their difficulties, claiming that this woman will most certainly avoid justice by being considered mentally sick.
Bushra also recited a poem by her sister, Neelam Basheer, addressing the accident and urged the elites to seek therapy for their addictions instead of harming innocent people.
It is, however, unknown whether Natasha was actually under the influence of drugs while driving or not, as the case is underway. She is currently in police custody, and during the previous court hearing, her lawyer deemed her mentally ill and that she had been under medical treatment for the past five years.