Category: National

Videos of philanthropist Ramzan Chhipa promoting social work on social media have left the internet divided. While some users pointed out the lack of modern filming techniques and production, others argued that charity should not be showcased for attention.

In one of the viral videos from June, he instructs a shopkeeper to gift a cake to a family that can’t afford it, specifically telling him not to mention that it’s from him. Yet he has his name, Chhipa Sahab, written on the cake, highlighting contradictions in the script.

Similarly, many videos featuring Chhipa have surfaced online as part of efforts to deliver moral messages. Critics, however, label them as “outdated productions,” “cheap acting,” and “self-promotion.” Others argue that the criticism is unnecessary.

One social media user wrote, “Chhipa Sahib has also started quite a theatrical performance, never saw Edhi Sahib [Philantropist] doing such things, nor does Dr. Adeeb Rizvi [Philantropist] engage in such cheap promotion, nor others. Chhipa Sahib should avoid cheap content writers and advisors (sic).”

“Chhipa sahab has now become a content creator,” one added. Another maintained, “Such videos would affect genuine social welfare work of the organisation.”

“Chhipa Saab! Just some advice. Please hire a good marketing company. And one request, kindly let us know the company you hired so we are not hiring it and saving ourselves from any embarrassment,” mocked another netizen.

“Real charity is done quietly, for the sake of Allah alone, without the need for public recognition … Taking credit openly on social media shifts the focus from sincerity to self-promotion. Please consider the example of Edhi Sahab, a man of true humility who served thousands without ever seeking attention. Helping others is a blessing from Allah, but showing it off lessens its reward (sic),” advised one user.

Some social media users also hailed him for raising awareness.

A user wrote, “Although this video is acting, but! Its purpose is to inform the needy that you can go to Chhipa Sahib.”

“All those Pakistanis who can’t do anything themselves criticise organisations like Chhipa,” opined another netizen.

One user, while lauding Chhipa’s work, advised him to change his public relations team, criticising them for producing outdated content in an era dominated by Generation Z: “Ramazan Chhipa is such a person with heart and zero ego, I’ve met him many times … The actual issue is [that] he and his team do not belong to this generation. The type of low-effort and outdated content they produce is called dark humour and brainrot in today’s language. That costs him too much. the only request from him is to change his PR and content production team, who are defaming him unintentionally or intentionally. A lot of duas for Chhipa sahab whose ambulance and disaster team always come up to help on just one call”.

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is under scrutiny after a female passenger’s mobile phone went missing inside the aircraft’s air ventilation system and remained there for 13 days, exposing a case of negligence.

According to reports, the incident took place on July 6 during a PIA Boeing 777 flight from Jeddah to Islamabad. The female passenger accidentally dropped her mobile phone through an open air vent located beneath her seat mid-flight.

The woman recorded a video during the flight showing her phone slipping into the aircraft’s internal system, which she later shared on social media. Despite repeated complaints and follow-ups, PIA’s engineering team failed to retrieve the device for nearly two weeks.

“In July, I was travelling from Jeddah to Islamabad. My phone slipped through a hole under the seat and went inside the aircraft. A phone has a lithium-ion battery, which can explode if it overheats,” the woman explained in a video statement posted online.

She stated that the crew was informed, while Security Manager Nadeem Tariq claimed that the phone had been searched for but was not found. “But I kept tracking it for the next six to seven days, and it showed its location between Madinah and Islamabad. Wherever the aircraft flew, my phone kept moving with it,” she added.

The passenger also raised concerns about the safety of those onboard, citing the potential hazard of having an electronic device stuck in the plane’s ventilation system. “This is an aircraft with over 300 people on board. If that battery had overheated, anything could have happened,” she said.

After 13 days and multiple flights, the phone was finally recovered on July 19 when PIA’s engineering staff opened the aircraft flooring to retrieve it.

PIA spokesperson Abdullah Khan reportedly confirmed the retrieval, stating, “The phone was returned to the passenger after we opened the aircraft floor. Due to back-to-back scheduled flights, immediate access to the area was not possible.” He also added that the airline remained in contact with the passenger throughout the period.

However, the passenger and her family have filed a complaint with the Federal Ombudsman against PIA for negligence and the potential risk to passenger safety.

But can a phone battery be a fire risk on planes?

There have been cases in the past where lithium-ion phone batteries have caught fire or exploded. However, there are no confirmed reports of major explosions or serious structural damage to aircraft caused by mobile phone batteries. Reports suggest commercial aircraft are built to handle small fires or explosions caused by passengers’ personal devices, such as phones. Nonetheless, aviation experts say such incidents still pose a significant safety risk and should be treated with urgency.

Two brothers drowned in the Jhelum River on Wednesday after jumping in one after the other in Chakothi, Azad Kashmir.

The incident occurred around 4:30 p.m. in Dharang village, located on the right bank of the river in the Chakothi sector of Jhelum Valley district, near the Line of Control.

According to initial reports, 16-year-old Kashif, son of Mohammad Yaqoob, became deeply distressed after failing several subjects in his matriculation exams. Overcome with despair, he leapt into the river near a newly installed chairlift.

According to witnesses, the older brother, Waqas Yaqoob, a 25-year-old army soldier, who was home on vacation, immediately jumped in to save him.

Unfortunately, both were swept away within moments by the river’s powerful current, leaving bystanders helpless.

Local volunteers and Rescue 1122 teams rushed to the scene and began searching the river at various points.

However, by sunset, there was still no sign of the siblings, as the strong current and high water had carried them away.

The incident marks the second such tragedy in the Jhelum Valley district this month.

On July 15, a schoolteacher from Sawan village, Umar Uzair, ended his life by jumping into the Jhelum River. His body was recovered four days later, roughly ten kilometres downstream.

The mother of a woman who was allegedly killed in the name of honour in Balochistan’s Degari area has been arrested and presented in court after defending her daughter’s murder in a video statement.

She has now been handed over to the Serious Crime Investigation Wing for further interrogation, according to media reports.

The case concerns the murder of Bano Bibi, a mother of five, who was killed for having a relationship with a man named Ihsanullah. In a video statement that surfaced online, the mother claimed the killing was carried out in accordance with Balochi customs and was the result of a decision made by a social jirga.

She alleged the man was frequently posting TikTok videos, which enraged her sons. Her statement included an appeal for the release of the arrested suspects, including tribal leader Sardar Sherbaz Satakzai, claiming that the decision was made by a Balochi jirga and not under his influence.

Police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) under several serious charges, including Section 302 (murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act.

According to reports citing police, 20 individuals have been taken into custody so far, and 11 of them, including Sardar Satakzai, have officially been arrested.

A shocking twist in the Balochistan honour killing case, in which a woman and a man were brutally executed on video, has sparked national outrage after the victim’s mother publicly defended the murder, calling it a punishment in line with Baloch tribal customs.

The woman, identified as Gul Jan, claimed that her daughter Bano was “not a girl but a mother of five” and that the killing was a decision taken by a tribal jirga and not an act of dishonour. She appealed to authorities to release the arrested tribal chief Sardar Sher Baz Satakzai and others held in connection with the crime.

However, her statement has ignited widespread anger on social media, among human rights activists and celebrities, many of whom have strongly condemned the justification of murder under the guise of culture and tradition.

Actor and host Anoushey Ashraf wrote, “Imagine the patriarchal mindset they all respect and live by calling it ‘tribal, sacred’ values. This is exactly what our dear Prophet (SAW) was fighting against. Exactly what he deemed barbaric and pagan. Even today we do such things under the umbrella of religion.”

Actor Farhan Saeed also reacted emotionally, questioning the circumstances behind the mother’s statement: “Once you take away a child from a mother and then make her say this, how will we ever face Allah? What were we doing when all this was happening?”

Veteran actor Simi Raheal expressed disbelief saying, “Custom??? A custom of killing!!? This tribal practice should be punishable!!!”

The public also raised serious questions about the authenticity and pressure behind the mother’s statement. 

One user commented “Pata nahi kitna pressure hoga bechari pe yeh bolne ka.”

Another wrote, “Just imagine how much his mother must have been threatened and intimidated, that if she didn’t give a statement, no one would be spared. This isn’t happening for the first time in Pakistan, nor will it be the last.”

Another user said, “Zahir hai sardar ke khilaf bayan degi to apni jaan bhi ganwa degi.”

Many others expressed frustration over how such killings continue to be rationalised, “It doesn’t matter because Islam doesn’t allow it. Murder ko justify karne ke liye ab 100 stories banayi ja rahi hain, even us aurat ke character pe bhi ungli uthai ja rahi hai. Jo bhi tha! Murderers aapke samne hain, unhe saza do!”

The killing came to light after a harrowing video went viral showing a woman and a man being taken to a remote area, separated, and then executed. The woman, holding a copy of the Quran, asked the shooter to walk seven steps with her and told him, “You are allowed only to shoot me. Nothing more than that.” She was then shot three times.

The video also shows the bloodied body of a man lying beside her, while the group of men is seen firing additional rounds at both corpses.

The woman, identified as Sheetal, had reportedly married a man of her choice, an act her family considered a violation of tribal customs. According to officials, the suspects include her father, brothers, and other relatives who claimed the killing was to preserve “honour.”

After this incident, police had arrested 14 suspects over what has been deemed “honour killing” of the couple, including Sardar Sher Baz Satakzai who allegedly ordered their deaths. Sheetal’s mother, however, has come forward defending the act and calling for the release of those detained.