Category: National

A police constable in Dera Ghazi Khan has been suspended after helping his son cheat in a recruitment test for new hirings. 

Constable Tauseef, stationed at the Sakhi Sarwar station, brought his son Adeel to the finish lane on his motorcycle, while all other contestants had to run on foot. 

Constable Tauseef was arrested on the spot while his son Adeel managed to escape. RPO Dera Ghazi Khan Captain (Retd.) Sajjad Hassan Khan and DPO Syed Ali Kazmi ordered the force to conduct an inquiry into the matter.

Officials have also suspended the issuance of recruitment permits for officers posted at Sakhi Sarwar police station so that the recruitment process can continue without more interference. 

The 1600- meter race is considered mandatory in physical tests conducted for recruitment in the police force. It usually has to be finished within six minutes and thirty seconds. For candidates older than the age of 35, the race is usually shortened to 1400 meters while the stipulated time is lengthened to nine minutes. 

Other parts of the physical test include a long jump and a high jump, with candidates getting three chances to finish the 3.8 meters and 1.1 meters distances respectively. 

For female candidates, the race is shortened to 800 meters while the time is a crisp four and a half minutes.

A sub-committee of the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus (WPC) called for a ban on fizzy drinks ahnd junk food in schools, as Pakistan earns the undesirable rank of the leading country for diabetes. 

Chaired by Zahra Wadood Fatemi, the panel stressed that sugar consumption must be brought down in the country, pointing towards canned goods, packaged food and fizzy drinks as the prime cause of the “silent killer” disease. 

The panel recommended bringing regulations on private school canteens up to the same stringent rules that are applied in government schools. 

The International Diabetes Forum estimates that Pakistan has a diabetes rate of 26.7 percent adults of the population, one of the highest in the world. In 2021, Pakistan had almost 33 million adult diabetic patients. This number is set to balloon to 62 million by 2045 if strict preventive measures are not taken. 

Fizzy and sugary drinks are one of the main culprits of causing diabetes. A 2010 study showed that the risk of developing diabetes is 26 percent higher for people who consume one or more sugary or fizzy drink per day. 

Even artificial sweetners, such as are used for ‘Zero’ or ‘Low cal’ versions of these drinks have links to diabetes.

What would a young Quaid-e-Azam look like wearing a suede jacket if his hair was not carefully combed back? What would Aziz Bhatti Shaheed look like with a 5 o’clock stubble, talking on a podcast after a long day of defending the country’s borders? 

These are questions we never asked because there was no possible way of knowing the answer. But perhaps now we can imagine the unimaginable. 

AI has opened a world of possibilities, most notably in recreating people long gone from this world. 

Instagram account @shoaibsaadat posts AI rendered videos on the social media platform. Of late, the account has started sharing haunting yet beautiful videos of our military and civilian heroes in situations and outfits we have never imagined them in. 

One video shows Jinnah and Iqbal reimagined as they travel through what we presume is the London tube. In one frame, a young Jinnah smiles at the camera, his unruly hair and jacket making him look uber cool. Iqbal, meanwhile, alternates between a gritty working class hero and an Edwardian gentleman. 

Another poignant video shows military martyrs who received the Nishaan-e-Haider talking in podcast shows. Aziz Bhatti Shaheed has a lock of hair falling over his forehead while Rashid Minhas Shaheed is still wearing his flying goggles on his head. 

Allama Mohammad Iqbal laughs in one magical video which shows famous Urdu poets attending podcasts. Others featured in the amazing video include a young Parveen Shakir, a handsome Baba Bulleh Shah and Habib Jalib and Faiz being debonair. 

We hope more people reimagine our history and let us see legendary figures in a new light.

Chief Justice Aalia Neelum of the Lahore High Court has  expressed dissatisfaction that the identity of rape and sexual assault victims is not kept private, adding that maintaining that privacy is very important. 

The Chief Justice was heading a full bench of the Lahore High Court, looking into the implementation of Anti-Rape Act 2021. 

While admitting that evidence must be presented in court, she said that video and audio recordings and other evidences must be legally secured under the Qanun-i-Shahadat (the law of evidence). 

Punjab Prosecutor General Syed Farhad Ali Shah, acting Advocate General of Punjab Baleeghur Rehman Chaudhry and Inspector General of Police Dr Usman Anwar appeared before the bench which also included Justice Ali Zia Bajwa and Justice Farooq Haider. 

The advocate general submitted a report, stating that it was a federal law with certain gaps.

Chief Justice Aalia Neelum then said, “This is like putting the court and the nation on a wild goose chase.”

The court also expressed unhappiness on the absence of the Attorney General who was reportedly in Islamabad. 

The IGP informed the court that there had been 5,000 cases of abduction and 7,000 honour killings of women.

He stressed that special officers are being trained to handle investigative matters.

The bench then adjourned the hearing.