Current Final

Category: National

  • Most polluted city in the world sets record for largest human flag

    Most polluted city in the world sets record for largest human flag

    Pakistani students have set a new world record for creating the largest human flag, leaving behind India’s previous record with over 10,000 students from Army Public Schools (APS) participating in the Lahore Youth Festival, organised by the Punjab Government.

    Thousands of students came together in the record-breaking event to form the massive human flag. This record beat India’s prior record of 7,368 participants, which was made earlier this year.

    The Nation reported that after setting the record, the students celebrated the achievement with patriotic songs and dances, marking the event as a powerful display of youthful passion.

    However, the event took place while the smog engulfed the city, and Lahore’s Air Quality Index (AQI) was surpassing the hazardous level. The government has already placed a green lockdown in the province, and schools are closed till November 17. 

    Lahore’s AQI today, as of November 8, stands at an alarming level of 516, while Multan is way ahead of it with 1331.

  • Top judges get big boost in allowances

    Top judges get big boost in allowances

    The federal government has on Thursday made substantial hikes in the house rent and judicial allowance of both Supreme Court judges and High Court judges. 

    As per a notification issued by the Federal Minister for Law and Justice, Azam Nazeer Tarar, house rent of Supreme Court judges has been increased from Rs 68,000 to 350,000 (sixty-eight thousand to three hundred and fifty thousand rupees).

    Likewise, following the approval from Acting President Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, judicial allowance of the judges has also been increased from Rs 428,040 to Rs 1,161,163 (four hundred twenty-eight thousand forty rupees to eleven lac sixty-one thousand one hundred sixty-three rupees).

    Similarly, the government has also increased the house rent of High Court judges from 65,000 to 350,000 rupees (sixty-five thousand to three hundred fifty thousand rupees) and judicial allowance from 342,431 to 1,090,000 rupees (three hundred forty-two thousand four hundred thirty-one to ten lac ninety thousand rupees).

  • Lahore High Court orders shops to shut down early to combat smog

    Lahore High Court orders shops to shut down early to combat smog

    Lahore High Court (LHC) has imposed a new order to combat smog in Lahore.


    Local markets will be closed by 8 pm in the evening to prevent smog while authorities will crack down on smog-emitting vehicles.


    During a recent hearing on a plea filed against the Punjab government for not taking effective measures to combat smog, the court ordered all private offices to announce a work-from-home policy for two days and ordered markets to close at 8 pm.


    However, the court also ordered the complete closure of markets on Sunday and directed officials to start a crackdown on smog-emitting vehicles.


    LHC  directed traffic police to immediately stop smoke-emitting vehicles and remarked that the dolphin police should also take action along with the traffic police.

    Meanwhile, the Punjab government has issued a notification about the ban of public entry in public and amusement parks. 

  • PTI leaders troll govt for past criticism of Donald Trump while celebrating his win

    PTI leaders troll govt for past criticism of Donald Trump while celebrating his win

    As the Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump swept the polls in the United States on Wednesday, messages of congratulations poured in from across the world. However, unbeknownst to the American public and the President-elect himself, it also created a storm of memes, taunts, and jokes within the Pakistani political sphere, with PTI leaders trolling government leaders for their past critical remarks on Donald Trump.

    PTI leaders and supporters claimed that Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal deleted his past tweets critical of the next President of the United States. It should be noted that Ahsan Iqbal has not deleted his old tweets criticising Trump. However, the official page of the ruling party PML-N has indeed deleted its post from 2021 in which Maryam Nawaz compared Trump and Khan.

    It must be emphasised that PTI blamed the US for conspiring against its government when Imran Khan was ousted from power through a no-confidence motion in 2022. Founder PTI Imran Khan, in an infamous rally, waved a page in front of a charged crowd, which was allegedly the cypher sent to Islamabad by Pakistan’s ambassador in Washington.

    The Intercept, a US-based news website, in August 2023 published what it claimed to be the “cypher” that hinted the US administration wanted to remove Khan from power. 

    However, later, Khan and his party changed their narratives multiple times while the American-Pakistani community continuously lobbied among US politicians for pressurising Pakistan government to release Imran Khan. 

    PTI leader Hammad Azhar, who has been in hiding for over a year, posted on X, “Congratulations to @realDonaldTrumpfor winning the US election. Donald was falsely framed, victimised and survived an assassination attempt. It’s the same story as Imran Khan in Pakistan only difference is that our mandate was brazenly stolen. But IK will also be successful soon IA as the people’s power cannot be suppressed for long.”

    He also tweeted, “PMLN leaders including Maryam Nawaz, Ahsan Iqbal & others went public in their hate remarks for @realDonaldTrump. Now they are on a delete spree. Unfortunately the ,establishment of Pakistan imposed puppets on us that are not trained in the basics of diplomacy or intl relations.”

    French Statesman Charles de Gaulle once said: “Since a politician never believes what he says, he is quite surprised to be taken at his word.” 


    Since Pakistani politics or its players never cease to amaze, one social media user pointed out Hammad’s tweet from 2016 in which he criticised the former US President himself writing, “Rise of Trump like politicians, protectionist barriers, UK leaving EU, radical Islam; peoples of the world are moving away from each other.”

    Another PTI leader, Ali Muhammad Khan, held a press conference saying, “It is hoped that the new US President Donald Trump will realise the mistake that it was wrong to expel Imran Khan on behalf of the Joe Biden government.”

    However, the former deputy speaker and another prominent PTI leader who is currently in the United States, Qasim Khan Suri, took to X to blame the Democratic Party for Khan’s fall from power instead of blaming the United States.

    Suri posted his speech from 2022 when he was the deputy assembly speaker, in which he blamed the United States for conspiring against Khan due to his alleged “independent foreign policy, economy and the sanctity of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).” Yet, the caption Suri wrote was in clear contrast with the contents of the video, writing, “The crushing defeat of the US Democratic Party, which played an important role in bringing down the government of Imran Khan, in the US presidential election made local facilitators sleepless, many of them immediately issued statements to change their father.”

    Suri also took to X to post a viral clip of Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif criticising and comparing Khan with Trump while tagging Trump family members as if complaining.

    Meanwhile, Imran Khan’s official account also posted a congratulatory message to Donald Trump for his landslide victory in the US elections.

    Former President Arif Alvi also took to X to congratulate Trump while comparing his political struggles with Khan, including the assassination attempt on both leaders. “On behalf of the people of my country, and as the 13th President of Pakistan, I would like to congratulate you on your resounding victory to ‘Make America Great Again’. We look forward to continued cooperation as democratic nations. Indeed, your victory must have sent shivers down the spine of dictators and aspiring dictators of the world,” wrote Alvi.

  • ‘America ki sifarish par release hona hai tou behtar hai sulah karlain,’ says Rana Sanaullah

    ‘America ki sifarish par release hona hai tou behtar hai sulah karlain,’ says Rana Sanaullah

    Prime Minister’s Advisor for Political Affairs, Rana Sanaullah, made a witty jab at Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) after some party leaders suggested that incarcerated party founder Imran Khan would be released once newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump takes office.

    Rana Sanaullah, speaking on the 365 News ‘HEAD ON’ talk show, said that “it’s better for the party to make peace with the government”’ if they are relying on the U.S. for the release of Khan.

    PM Advisor also asserted that there would be “no direct dealing” between PTI and the establishment.

    “PTI has only one way of dealing, and that is through parliament, political parties, and political leadership,” he said, adding, “The sooner PTI understands this, the better it will be for the party and the country’s politics.”

    When asked about PTI’s recent attempts to hold direct talks with the establishment, Rana Sanaullah said that ISPR clarified in a press conference on May 8 that dialogue could only be done through political parties.

    Earlier, PTI’s spokesperson, Raoof Hassan, declared that the party wanted to engage in negotiations with the establishment and political parties through direct negotiations.

    “It has been PTI’s policy that we want to engage with the establishment, and I will go a step ahead to say that dialogue between my party and the establishment is inevitable for this state, and we must not delay this,” Hassan claimed in October during an interview on a private news channel.

  • Real estate company bidding for PIA has more than 200 FIRs registered against it

    Real estate company bidding for PIA has more than 200 FIRs registered against it

    Only one company, Blue World City, completed requirements to enter the bidding process for a stake in the country’s flag carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).

    Blue World City is a real estate project based in Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Journalist Shahid Aslam reported that there are “almost 215 FIRs registered against the company owners with charges ranging from murder, illegal weapons, injuring people, and illegal occupation of land.”

    The Privatisation Commission had initially pre-qualified six bidders, including Fly Jinnah, a consortium led by YB Hol¬dings (Pvt) Ltd, Airblue Ltd, a consortium led by Pak Ethanol (Pvt) Ltd, Arif Habib Corporation Ltd, and Blue World City.

    It was also reported that initially, government members did not think of Blue World City, a real estate company, as a serious contender for PIA.

    The Commission shortlisted the six companies after an extensive review based on technical, financial, and documentary requirements, inviting them to proceed with the next stage of the bidding process to start buy-side due diligence.

    However, out of all the six qualified bidders, only one chose to submit “earnest money” prior to final bidding.

    Earnest money is a deposit made to a seller that represents a buyer’s good faith in making a purchase.

    The successful bidder would own a 51 percent stake in PIA and 100 percent of the airline’s share capital, along with management control.

    Business Recorder reported that the owner of Blue World City was also looking into acquiring operations at the Islamabad International Airport, which the government is looking to outsource.

    As part of the IMF conditions for structural reforms, the government decided to privatise PIA as in 2023, it reported a loss of over Rs 75 billion.

    PIA has a debt load of around Rs800 billion ($2.9 billion), and the government has needed to bail it out multiple times over the years.

    Journalist Shahid Aslam also reported that the management of Blue World City also owns the media group Suno TV. According to Aslam, the management of the Blue World City is “run by retired Generals – Arif Waraich and Sajjad Rasool – who served in ISI.”

    Aslam claimed that “Gen (retd) Arif Warraich served as the DG SCT (ISI) in 2014-15 and is now serving at a Director level in Suno TV’s management. While Gen (retd) Sajjad Rasool served as DGS Security & Administration in ISI, and he is also part of the core management team at Suno TV.”

  • What is Reko Diq and how does it help us?

    What is Reko Diq and how does it help us?

    Reko Diq has been deemed a game changer for Pakistan as its natural resources have the potential to improve the country’s struggling economy.

    However, the question remains: How can the Reko Diq project change Pakistan’s financial dynamics?

    The Pakistani government first signed an agreement on the Reko Diq copper and gold reserve in 1993 with the Australian mining company Broken Hill Proprietary (BHP) Minerals.

    In 2000, BHP handed over the project to Tethyan Copper Company (TCC), a joint venture of Antofagasta of Chile and the Barrick Gold Corporation.

    The Diplomat Magazine reported that in 2006, TCC invested $200-400 million to take over the project and convert the exploration permit into a mining license. However, in 2011, the Balochistan government rejected TCC’s application, and in 2013, Pakistan’s Supreme Court ruled against the mining license.

    Meanwhile, when the Balochistan government cancelled the mining license, TCC filed for international arbitration at the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), alleging a breach of contract.

    A new agreement was signed in 2022, under which Barrick agreed to a 50 percent stake, down from the previous 75 percent.

    In 2024, after the withdrawal of Barrick Gold Cooperation from Riko Diq, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia entered into a preliminary agreement for Islamabad to sell a 15 percent stake in the mining project to Saudi investors.

    Reqo Diq covers an area of 3.3 million acres in the Chagai district, bordering Iran and Afghanistan. Beneath this dusty surface lies one of the world’s largest undeveloped gold and copper reserves.

    A geological Survey in 1978 discovered the gold and copper resources in Chaghi.

    According to Dawn News, estimated deposits of Riko Diq are around 200,000 tons of copper and 250,000 ounces of gold a year for nearly 50 years.

    Chagai is one of the poorest areas of Pakistan and South Asia. With one of the lowest literacy rates and the highest infant and maternal mortality rates, Chagai district ranks lowest in Pakistan on most social and human development indicators.

    Saudi Minister for Investment Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al-Faleh addressed the Pakistan Saudi Arabia Business Forum in Islamabad on Thursday, saying that the ties between his country and Pakistan “have no limits” and that this extends to economic cooperation as well.

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday said that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia will sign an agreement worth around two billion dollars.

    “I think there are essentially no limits to what Saudi Arabia and Pakistan can do in the economic sphere, just like there are no limits to our friendship, to our bonds, to our historic relations,” stated the Saudi Minister.

    Al Faleh stated that Saudi Arabia intends to invest in Pakistan’s infrastructure and mining sectors, and his delegation would sign 25 agreements across various fields.

  • Pakistan security forces repel Afghan Taliban aggression

    Pakistan security forces repel Afghan Taliban aggression

    Pakistan security forces successfully foiled an attempt at aggression by Afghan Taliban forces at the Naushki-Ghazni sector along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

    Afghanistan forces opened fire at Pakistan security forces, who in response targeted Afghan checkpoints in its counteraction, security sources told Dawn News.

    Fire was exchanged while Pakistan security forces were doing fence repair work; Pakistan’s effective retaliation resulted in heavy casualties among the Afghan troops.

    The Afghan forces had carried out border violations in the past, as last month, the Afghan Taliban initiated heavy firing targeting Pakistani checkposts from the Afghan region of Plosi.

    Meanwhile, Pakistan forces on Wednesday killed two terrorists who were trying to enter a camp of Frontier Corps (FC) in the Zhob district of Balochistan.

    Inter Service Public Relations (ISPR), in a statement, claimed that terrorist Umar alias Umari, who was involved in numerous activities against security forces as well as innocent civilians, including the recent attack on a convoy of Deputy Commissioner Sherani, has also been killed in retaliation.

    However, the military media wing stated that one soldier was martyred.

  • Dr. Zakir Naik criticised for complaining about PIA’s overweight charges

    Dr. Zakir Naik criticised for complaining about PIA’s overweight charges

    Religious scholar Dr Zakir Naik faced backlash over his statement regarding the complaint to Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) for not loading his overweight stuff “free” on the plane on his way to Pakistan from Malaysia.

    Speaking from the Governor House in Karachi, he was offended by recalling his tour to Pakistan and stated that the PIA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) offered his a 50 per cent discount on his overloaded 500 KG baggage and questioned the Pakistan hospitality.

    He further said, “If he were in an Indian airport, they would even let me load 1000 KG of baggage free in the plane,” and confirmed he never paid overweight at an Indian airport.”

    Lambasting Pakistan authority, Zakir Naik stated, “I am a state guest in Pakistan, but my extra luggage was not loaded free.”

    Social media users Criticised Dr Zakir Naik over his complaint to PIA.

    One user wrote, “Enough of hospitality; serve Dr Sahab some food and say goodbye to him.”

    Another user wrote, “Clerics has lost his mind.”

  • US flags India ‘country of particular concern’ amid worsening religious freedoms

    US flags India ‘country of particular concern’ amid worsening religious freedoms

    The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) on October 2 has called for Narendra Modi-led India to be designated as a “Country of Particular Concern” for worsening religious freedoms in the country.

    “Individuals have been killed, beaten, and lynched by vigilante groups, religious leaders have been arbitrarily arrested, and homes and places of worship have been demolished,” read the damning report, which highlights human rights abuses in India.

    The report also criticised the Modi government’s 2019 decision to disenfranchise religious minorities through Citizenship Amendment Act.

    The report also revealed how Indian government officials use misinformation and disinformation to incite violence against religious minorities and their places of worship.

    “The government, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), reinforced discriminatory nationalist policies, perpetuated hateful rhetoric, and failed to address communal violence disproportionately affecting Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Dalits, Jews, and Adivasis (indigenous peoples),” noted the US federal government’s report.