Current Final

Category: Lifestyle

  • 31 cities accommodate more than 180,000 MDCAT candidates

    31 cities accommodate more than 180,000 MDCAT candidates

    Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) conducted this year’s MDCAT on Sunday. The paper-based exam took place in centres across the country.

    PMDC President Professor Dr Rizwan Taj said that a total of 180,534 students from Pakistan appeared in the MDCAT exam. 180,151 registered candidates appeared in national venues whereas 382 candidates appeared at two international centres; 185 candidates in Dubai and 197 candidates in Saudi Arabia.

    Punjab hosted 66,875 candidates, Sindh 40,528, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 46439, Balochistan 9,230, Gilgit 926, Azad Jammu and Kashmir 4,036 and Islamabad 12,118.

    The candidates were accommodated in 31 different cities including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad, Bahawalpur, Gujranwala, Sahiwal, Sialkot, DG Khan, Sargodha, Gujrat, Faisalabad, Karachi, Jamshoro, Dera Ismail Khan, Malakand, Nawabshah, Swat, Swabi, Peshawar, Mardan, Kohat, Bannu, Abbottabad, Quetta, Gilgit, Muzaffarabad, Huripur, Larkana, Mansehra, and Mirpur.

    Dr. Taj pointed that special assistance had been provided to candidates with special needs or handicaps to fill out answer sheets.

    As per the spokesperson of the Sindh Medical University, MDCAT results will come out after around one week.

  • American retailer sells Pakistani Servis Cheetahs as ‘Taliban’s favourite shoe,’ priced over Rs30,000

    American retailer sells Pakistani Servis Cheetahs as ‘Taliban’s favourite shoe,’ priced over Rs30,000

    An American online shopping platform known as “Americana Pipedream” is offering Pakistani Servis Cheetah high-top shoes, which are advertised as “The Taliban’s Favourite Shoe” and are priced at approximately Rs30,500 ($99). 

    Screenshot from Americana Pipedream Website

    The website lists these shoes for individuals who wish to emulate the Taliban’s style, and the company claims that “the Servis Cheetah is a highly popular running and sports shoe in the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Much of its notoriety stems from its use by the Taliban, Mujahideen, and even Afghan Security Forces over the past 40 years. 

    These Servis Cheetahs are brand new and originate from Pakistan, a shoe brand that is not commonly found in the American market. 

    Interestingly, despite the platform’s strong promotion of these shoes as the “Taliban’s favourite,” the details section acknowledges that they are rare to come by in the United States and suggests that the quality may not be top-notch due to their Pakistani origin. 

    Furthermore, upon conducting research, it was discovered that the exact same shoes are sold by Servis Pakistan for Rs2,799. 

    Screenshot from official Servis Pakistan Website

    The website appears to specialise in promoting clothing and accessories associated with the Taliban and similar themes. Other products featured on the website include Afghan War Rugs & Accessories, new apparel and accessories, books, camping and outdoor gear, axes and knives, tactical gear, pipes and accessories, vintage clothing, Phantomleaf camouflage, clearance items, night vision devices, and various military surplus items categorised by style and country of origin, including Swiss Surplus, Balkan Surplus, Greek Surplus, German & Austrian Surplus, Romanian Surplus, Vintage US Military Clothing, and British Surplus. 

  • ‘Amir Liaquat didn’t want to divorce me’: Bushra Iqbal

    ‘Amir Liaquat didn’t want to divorce me’: Bushra Iqbal

    Bushra Iqbal, the ex-wife of late television host and politician Aamir Liaquat, was a guest on Hafiz Ahmed’s podcast where she opened up about her 2020 divorce. The late politician’s divorce of his wife Syeda Bushra in 2020 left many in surprise, particularly as it came after he married actress Tuba Anwar.

    At the time, Bushra had announced on her Instagram account that her marriage to the television host had ended, confirming that she was divorced by Liaquat on the phone at the request of his second wife, an act she termed traumatic for their two children.

    Speaking at the podcast, the lawyer and television producer revealed she had not wanted to leave Aamir, but Tuba and her family kept pushing Aamir to divorce her, which is why he did it.

    Bushra also addressed the leaked videos controversy, where the late host could be seen walking around a small room without clothes. Bushra said she was disappointed at how revenge videos were released to shame her husband.

    “Honour is not just a woman’s. A man has honour as well. Had this happened to a woman, the entire country would have been out on the street, burning things. But a woman had done this. Men and women are kept equal. God has not kept the level of punishment different in the Quran.”

    “People didn’t speak up. I was quite hurt. Everyone had their fun. YouTubers, members, everyone…People should think, ‘What if this happened to me?’  The best of people end up killing themselves. Who [ends up killing themselves]? Those who have no shame or honour. Otherwise, people have a lot of videos leaked, it was his honour. There are many videos of him crying. Some people claim we weren’t in contact. About facing his kids, he’s crying and saying – there are many audios that people haven’t even heard, I have them, on which basis I am fighting the case.” 

  • Pakistani women are sharing their unpopular opinions about marriage on Twitter

    Pakistani women are sharing their unpopular opinions about marriage on Twitter

    If you could share an unpopular opinion about marriage, what would you say?

    Pakistani women are sharing cold hard facts with this trend on X (formerly Twitter), sharing their frank opinions about marriage. Since desi societies predominantly consider marriages to be a system arranged without a woman’s consent or opinion, many women shared what they thought about relationships, living with parents and other issues Pakistanis should really consider listening to.

    We completely have to side with this one. Your wives are not hired helpers for your home or your parents.

    Never take any excuses like this from someone who claims to love you.

    https://twitter.com/HamadRajpvt/status/1700195083272732771?s=20

    Please also adding ‘Nikkahfied’ in their bio is super cringey.

    When will desi people even listen to this?

    Normalize small weddings!

    https://twitter.com/girlwithwingss/status/1700024689475891622?s=20

    Marry someone who is self-confident and makes sure he never burdens you with his demands

    https://twitter.com/crocsnroses/status/1700154712937410594?s=20
  • 2 out of 3 Pakistani marriages are between cousins

    2 out of 3 Pakistani marriages are between cousins

    Chakor, an Instagram-based platform providing data-driven insights, recently compiled statistics on cousin-marriages in Pakistan

    According to Chakor’s data, nearly 2 out of every 3 Pakistani marriages are between cousins. The organisation claims that Pakistan has one of the highest rates of marriages between cousins in the world.

    They further highlighted medical evidence about how detrimental cousin-marriages can be for women’s reproductive health, adding that such marriages can cause serious health complications for the child.

  • Fear of further delay in Fatima case after police officers transferred

    Fear of further delay in Fatima case after police officers transferred

    There are fears of further delay in 10-year-old Fatima’s case as police officers working on the child’s mysterious death have been reappointed.

    Currently, the new SSP Khairpur, Samiullah Soomro, has taken charge of his post.

    Pir Asad Shah, the main suspect, and compounder Imtiaz Merasi, are on physical remand while accused Hina Shah and her father could not be arrested.

    Police say that Asad Shah’s recovered DNA samples have been sent to Lahore, adding that it will take more time to receive relevant reports.

    According to police sources, the final post-mortem report of the girl has not been received yet.

    Fatima’s case

    A domestic maid, 10-year-old child Fatima Phuriro was found dead under suspicious circumstances in Ranipur city, District Khairpur.

    The child had been working as a domestic worker at a haveli owned by an influential local, Pir Asad Shah Jilani.

    Fatima’s mother, Shabana, was informed about the death by the employer who asked her to remove the body from the premises where two of Fatima’s sisters are also employed.

    According to DIG Sukkur Javed Jiskani, the parents initially did not share the facts of the case with the police and claimed that the girl was suffering from gastroenteritis. While her diagnosis was also confirmed by Dr Abdul Fatah Memon who treated her, the DIG revealed that Fatima was taken to the hospital either by the Pir or his staff and that the SHO was present at the time she was pronounced dead.

    It was not until videos of torture were leaked by an unknown source and circulated in social media that the case caught media’s eye. By then, the family had buried Fatima on August 15.

    The body was later exhumed and sent for an autopsy which revealed that the child had been raped both vaginally and anally.

  • 12 women raped daily on average: report

    12 women raped daily on average: report

    According to The News, War Against Rape (WAR), an advocacy organisation, published a report based on data taken from Punjab Home Department and Ministry of Human Rights which reveals that 21,900 women were raped in the province between 2017 and 2021. This indicates that an average of 12 women were raped daily or one woman assaulted every two hours.

    However, as per the organisation, this number is only representative of a small portion as many cases are not reported due to stigma, fear, victim-blaming, and systemic biases in the justice system.

    18 per cent of women are subjected to early and forced marriages. There are about 19 million child brides at the moment. Sindh has legalised marriage for boys and girls at 18 while other provinces have set the age for girls at 16.

    Karachi
    As per the police surgeon’s office in Karachi, there were 3,649 cases of domestic violence reported in 2022.

    WAR team investigated 66 cases of different forms of sexual violence from July 2022 to June 2023.

    The News highlighted statistics from the report: 44 survivors were children under 18 years with the most vulnerable age group being 4-11 years; the average age of survivors was only 13 years, with the youngest survivor being mere four years old; and of these cases, 85 per cent involved women and female children.
    A total of 35 of the 66 cases were of rape, 11 were gang rape cases, another 11 were attempted rapes, and nine involved incest.

    Additionally, in 10 cases, boys were also victims while 12 children were murdered after being subjected to sexual violence, including nine girls and three boys.

    Korangi has been deemed a red alert zone as it has the highest sexual violence cases with 31 per cent, followed closely by Surjani Town with 30 per cent of reported cases.

    The Saeedabad area reported 11 per cent of the cases, Iqbal Market nine per cent, Orangi Town seven per cent, Mehmoodabad six per cent and Gulshan-e-Iqbal reported five per cent of the cases of sexual violence.

    Cases underreported
    The official data from three major public hospitals of Karachi revealed the conduction of 1,256 medico-legal examinations (MLEs) in sexual assault cases from January 2021 to December 2022 whereas only 499 first information reports (FIRs) were filed in this same duration.

    WAR report stated: “This underscores the urgent need for improved mechanisms to encourage survivors to report incidents. In the first six months of 2023, Pakistan witnessed a harrowing increase in child sexual abuse cases, with an average of 12 children sexually abused daily, totalling 2,227 cases. The comparison with 2021-22 data shows a disturbing upward trend in child sexual abuse cases.”

    Workplace harassment
    The News highlights that the Federal Ombudsman Secretariat for Protection Against Harassment (FOSPAH) reveals that more than 2,000 complaints were filed between 2018 and 2022 in the government sector and around 1,400 cases in the private sector, involving both men and women.

    “Due to harassment, a large number of complainants end up leaving their jobs or normalising the harassment and hostile work environment. This discourages women from entering the workforce and restricts them from reaching financial independence”

  • New HRCP report reveals human rights violations in Northern Sindh

    New HRCP report reveals human rights violations in Northern Sindh

    Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has released a fact-finding report titled “Northern Sindh: In Search of Solutions”, detailing violations of human rights in the region.

    The report is based upon a mission conducted by HRCP in February 2023 in which the team conducted interviews and consultations in Ghotki, Mirpur Mathelo, Kandhkot, Jacobabad, Larkana and Karachi where they met human rights defenders, lawyers, journalists, students, workers, political leaders, government representatives and law enforcement authorities.

    The report reveals the lack of law and order, inaccessibility of education and healthcare, and other barriers on basic rights.

    Due to lack of shelters for survivors, the conviction rates in gender-based violence including physical and sexual assault, abductions, premature burials and murders, cases are low and hence, violence is high. Many cases, in fact, remain unreported. Existing shelters lack medical care and legal assistance, where victims are kept in unpleasant conditions. The rooms are few while the management and staff lacks sensitivity as they are untrained.

    Similarly, religious minorities are at a threat due to discrimination, arbitrary blasphemy accusations and faith-based conversions.
    People of the province, especially those residing in kachi abadis, are vulnerable to organised crime, enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings and exploitative feudal power systems. This too, is linked to poor governance and lack of accountability.

    Conflicts are further topped by tribal feuds, stagnating the socio-economic development.

    And then, the rehabilitation of flood victims and long-term climate sustainability measures are issues still unaddressed.

    Over and above, law enforcement personnel and fake FIRs against journalists are used a weapon to stop coverage of human rights violations.

  • Supreme Court seeks reports on Sikh target killings, Jaranwala riots

    Supreme Court seeks reports on Sikh target killings, Jaranwala riots

    As reported by Geo News, the Supreme Court of Pakistan has, on Friday, asked the Inspectors General (IG) of Police to provide reports on cases pertaining to minority rights, asking what steps have been taken by the government on the Jaranwala tragedy and target killing of minority citizens.

    Sardar Bishna Singh, chairman of Baba Gurunanak Welfare Society, appeared in the Supreme Court, where he pointed out that while some of the people from Sikh community went to India in 1947, “We stayed in Pakistan, our religion also started from here. We are not claiming that we are being wronged because we are Sikhs but the Qabza group (land grabbers) does not take anything into consideration — temple, mosque, gurdwara.”

    He also highlighted the destruction of gurdwaras across the country, including Lahore.

    The Supreme Court described the target killing of the Sikh community as deplorable with Justice Ijazul Hassan stressing that the murders have forced Sikh community to move to different places or leave Pakistan, emphasizing that practical steps need to be taken to ensure their safety.

    The Supreme Court asked all the IGs for a detailed report on the recent target killings and also issued notices to the Attorney General and all Advocate Generals.

    The Apex Court also called for a report from a JIT on the Jaranwala tragedy, asking that the initial report be given to the petitioner.

    The petitioner said that after the Jaranwala tragedy, hateful speeches continue unabated.

    The court sought the report on Jaranwala tragedy from the Advocate General Punjab and the IG Punjab and also sought a report from the Punjab Interior Department on the steps taken after the incident, adjourning the hearing of the case for two weeks.

  • Manholes remain uncovered in Karachi as another child falls to death

    Manholes remain uncovered in Karachi as another child falls to death

    Another child has died after falling into an uncovered manhole in Karachi.

    Ramzan was playing outside when he accidentally fell into the gutter in the Orangi Town area.

    According to local residents, Rizwan was with other children of the neighborhood at the time he fell into the open sewer.

    Just last month, two incidents of children falling into a manhole and dying were reported in Karachi.

    One incident took place in the area of Jamot Mohalla where the sewer was left open while the second was in Ghazi Khan Wara, outside the residence of a girl named Umra Baloch who also fell and drowned in the uncovered gutter while playing outside.