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  • Food outlets sealed in Rawalpindi

    Food outlets sealed in Rawalpindi

    The district administration in Rawalpindi has on Friday sealed Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) and OMG outlets in Chaklala Scheme-III and Askari-3 for using spoiled meat and poor hygiene in kitchens, reports Dawn News.

    Assistant Commissioner Cantonment Qandeel Fatima Memon sealed KFC Scheme 3 when she received a complaint that a steel wire was found in the fillet of a burger. The restaurant was sealed after the confirmation of the genuinity of the complaint.

    The outlets have been given a warning and told to oversee their kitchen staff and food preparation.
    OMG Restaurant in Askari 3 was sealed during the second raid.

    Commissioner Memon spoke with Dawn, stating that she received a complaint about OMG about smelly burgers. Resultantly, their kitchen was raided and the condition of the kitchen turned out to be “pathetic, as there were cockroaches everywhere and the jars laid without a lid so the restaurant was sealed”.

    She added that the food outlets had to obtain medical examination certificates from the district health authority and that it was mandatory for the food outlets to get the medical test of the chefs and workers twice a year and obtain medical reports from government hospitals.

    She also said the provincial government had directed to take strict measures against putting people’s lives at risk and she plans on conducting more surprise visits in the cantonment areas in coming days.

    Assistant Commissioner Cantonment Qandeel Fatima Memon stated that district administration Rawalpindi is available to look after its people and to ensure that clean and healthy food is served to people of the district, reports Dawn.

  • ‘Hadsa’ writer Zanjabeel Asim Shah refutes allegations from motorway rape survivor

    ‘Hadsa’ writer Zanjabeel Asim Shah refutes allegations from motorway rape survivor

    After Hadiqa Kiani, the writer behind the controversial drama ‘Hadsa’ has come forward to address allegations that the script is based on the horrific motorway rape case, in which a woman was gang-raped in 2020 in front of her young children. Episode 5 of the drama shows the female lead, Taskeen, and her son driving down a highway at night when their car suddenly stops. Soon after, a group of men arrive who subject the female lead to torture and rape. Journalist Fereeha Idrees called the story a serious violation of privacy, and demanded that PEMRA shut down the show for exploiting a survivor’s trauma for ratings, without her or her family’s approval.

    Now, in a conversation with BBC Urdu, the writer has denied these allegations, pointing out that every woman, regardless of her background, can suffer from rape:

    “The similarity is just a coincidence. Every woman who goes through this incident, whether she is rich or poor, or whether she comes from an educated family or not, will get affected. Our dramas speak about our sufferings and our situations.”

    ‘When you fight this war, you’re also getting your catharsis,” he said.

    Zanjabeel went on to discuss writing on other topics like child sexual abuse and said that sometimes, drama scripts can bear resemblance to real life cases.

    “I have shown a young son who was getting married. We often say that a woman is going out alone, but she would still be helpless even if her husband went with her.”

    Since the allegations by Idrees went viral, on X, formerly Twitter, the hashtag #banhadsa began trending, with social media users criticing the cast and crew behind for violating the privacy of the rape survivor, and called for PEMRA to ban the drama. To which, Zanjabeel had responded:

    “PEMRA had banned my drama ‘Pyaar Ke Sadqaay’ too. But does this mean girls are not abused inside their homes? PEMRA had annoyed even Bee Gul so much over her drama ‘Darr Si Jaati Hai’. If they keep doing this, then should we only make dramas about saas-bahu conflicts? If we can’t make dramas about sensitive topics, then should we only make romance dramas,” he asked.

    Hadiqa Kiani released a statement on her social media account, saying that when she first read the script there were similarities with the motorway rape case, but after discussions with the writer and team, she understood that the drama was entirely different.

    Her statement was slammed by social media users, who demanded that she stop gaslighting survivors of rape and trauma.

  • PM Shehbaz has huge announcement for youth

    PM Shehbaz has huge announcement for youth

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s Digital Youth Hub Portal’ has been launched on Thursday.

    The portal unites all of the initiatives the government has initiated to support the youth’s development.

    At the ceremony, Sharif gave his word that the government will use all of its resources and try everything in its power to empower young people.

    He claimed that through the initiative, easy-to-repay loans are given to high-achieving girls and boys so that they may support themselves. To date, 30 billion rupees in loans have been given to deserving, talented youth.

    The Premier pointed out that the government is also providing laptops to deserving students as part of the scheme, while millions of rupees worth of computers have already been handed to young people so they can pursue higher education.

    The current administration has allotted 80 billion rupees for youth development throughout the course of the current fiscal year.

    Shehbaz Sharif stated that young people can register on the Digital Youth Hub Portal to receive financial aid and benefit from government initiatives aimed at improving their well-being.

    Shaza Fatima Khawaja, the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Youth Affairs, said that the portal
    will integrate all the steps and programmes launched across the country for youth development.

  • Azam Khan appears before NAB in £190 million case

    Azam Khan appears before NAB in £190 million case

    Former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s former principal secretary Azam Khan appeared before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) today (July 21) in Rawalpindi in a case related to a settlement worth £190 million between property tycoon Malik Riaz and Imran Khan, when the latter was in power. NAB had issued a notice to Azam Khan to appear today, Geo News has reported.

    Azam Khan recorded his statement and answered the questions asked by NAB’s joint investigation team (JIT). Azam Khan confirmed that he is an eyewitness to all that transpired and said that everything, including the dubious transaction, took place under the instructions of former PM Imran Khan. Azam revealed that former federal minister Shehzad Akbar also played a role in the £190 million settlement.

    Earlier on Wednesday, Azam Khan had recorded a statement before a magistrate that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief’s “cypher drama” was a pre-planned conspiracy.

  • The US population is older than it’s ever been before

    The US population is older than it’s ever been before

    According to data released by the Census Bureau, the United State’s population is older than it’s ever been before, with a median age of 38, New York Times reports.

    This is a steep rise considering the median age of 35 back in 2000 and 30 in 1980. Analysts are concerned that the U.=S ‘greying’, a term used to describe ageing populations, would pose challenges to the workforce, the economy and social programs.

    An earlier study conducted in 2020 revealed that 1 in 6 Americans (so 17% of the entire country) were 65 or older. Much of the greying of the US stems from the post-World War II baby boom – which was the period of 1946 – 1964. 

    Experts point to low birthrates as the main driver of the nation’s rising median age. “It’s simple arithmetic,” said president of demographic data firm Social Explorer, Andrew A. Beveridge, in conversation with the New York Times. “Fewer kids are being born.” 

    Since the beginning of the Great Recession (2007-09), birthrates had never been quite the same as previous generations. Birthrates also saw a steep decline in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

    This trend of ageing populations due to declining birthrates is one observed on an international scale. Countries such as Japan and Germany have been attempting to tackle this issue for years, by introducing policies allowing skilled youth to naturalise more easily. In Japan, nearly 30% of its population is over 65 years old.

    Experts believe that millennial women have been more likely to prioritise education and work in their 20s, leading them to marry far later and have fewer children. That would explain why newer generations in industrialised countries have been witnessing lower birthrates and ageing populations.

  • ‘Went from one relationship to another’; Priyanka Chopra opens up about her dating life

    ‘Went from one relationship to another’; Priyanka Chopra opens up about her dating life

    Priyanka Chopra recently appeared in “Call Her Daddy” podcast, in which she opened up about her dating life among many other things. Chopra revealed that she jumped from one relationship to another before taking a break.

    “I did not give myself time at all between relationships… I think I worked a lot and I always ended up dating the actors that I worked with. And I think that I just thought I had an idea of what a relationship should be like, and I kept seeking that and trying to fit the people that came into my life, into my idea of that relationship,” said Priyanka.

    She said that before meeting her now husband, Nick Jonas, she took two years off, adding that she did not date Nick at that time because she did not want to keep repeating mistakes.

    Talking about her past relationships, Priyanka said that she had normalised the idea of “giving the power in such a skewed way” that she never stood up for herself. “I literally would become like a doormat and I was like, ‘okay, that’s fine.’”


    The actor further said that she came to the realisation that getting into a new relationship soon after one ended wasn’t good for her.
    “I reached a point in my life where I was like, what the f**k are you doing? Like, this is getting self-destructive at this point when I had to choose me, I had to be like I don’t owe no one anything except my family and myself, the people who truly love me.”


    “When you are in relationships where you stop recognising who you are, you stop having your own identity, or you stop knowing what it is, what you want for yourself, what your goals are, then you are invisible. And, I just started feeling invisible in my relationships,” she added.

  • Family welcomes first baby girl born after 138 years

    Family welcomes first baby girl born after 138 years

    A couple in the United States (US) became parents to the first girl born in the father’s family after a gap of 138 years.

    Carolyn, the mother of the baby girl, knew what she was getting into when she married her husband, Andrew, 10 years ago.


    He told her upfront that his family had not produced a female child since 1885.

    The couple has named their daughter Audrey. The father said it was really hard to come up with a name because they never thought of a girl name before.
    The mother of the baby girl said that the arrival was “even more special” because their daughter was “worth the wait and all the struggles.”

    The couple said they experienced a miscarriage in 2021, so when they found out a year later that they were pregnant with another child they were thankful but cautious.

  • Arslan Ash once again takes Tekken trophy at EVO Japan 2023

    Arslan Ash once again takes Tekken trophy at EVO Japan 2023

    Pakistan gamer Arslan “Ash” Siddique has won the Tekken 7 competition at EVO Japan 2023 on Sunday after beating South Korea’s Meo-IL.

    The Lahore-based player has now won three EVO titles. In 2019, he won the Tekken 7 tournament in Japan as well as the Evolution Championship Series in the United States.

    In August last year, he finished third in the EVO 2022 Tekken 7 competition.

    On Sunday, Siddique played as Zafina to dominate Meo-IL, who was using Geese Howard, 3-0 in the tournament’s final leg.

    Arslan Ash is a well known taken 7 player. He represents Pakistan at different platforms of E- gaming.

    His third trophy win at EVO Japan 2023 for Tekken 7, is now in direct competition for Knee’s record. Jae-Min “Knee” Bae holds the record for three EVO wins. He won his first back in 2013 at the Tekken Tag Tournament 2 event and subsequently, 2 more at EVO 2018 and 2022.

    Previously, Pakistan’s Arslan Ash won EVO Japan 2019 and the EVO Championship series. He went toe-to-toe against Rangchu for the upper bracket finals and Meo-IL in the Grand Finals. He mained Zafina, showcasing some flashy moves.

    This was the last time we’ll see Tekken 7 at an EVO event. Bandai Namco is planning full steam ahead for a Tekken 8 release. We don’t know when we’ll get our hands on those juicy Heat Smashes, Heat Bursts, and new juggle combos. But we’re eagerly waiting.

    Ash thanked his sponsors, fans, and the growing Pakistani Tekken Community for achieving this milestone in his eSports career. We might get to see him at EVO Las Vegas, adding another trophy to his name.

  • PepsiCo Celebrates World Water Day with 100% Water Replenishment in Company-Owned Operations

    Lahore, March 22, 2023: PepsiCo Pakistan organized an event today to celebrate World Water Day 2023 by sharing that the company is replenishing 100% of the water they use at their Snacks manufacturing facilities in Sundar and Multan watersheds, in line with its global vision to become Net Water Positive by 2030. The company also showcased a unique Water Stewardship Model Community that is being set up in partnership with the World Wide Fund for Nature – Pakistan (WWF-Pakistan). The Center of Water Informatics and Technology (WIT) at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) will provide technical expertise for the project while Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) will create policy briefs based on the project learnings to facilitate policymakers.

    The event was held at WIT LUMS with an aim to raise awareness about the importance of water and sanitation and to promote sustainable management of water resources through public-private partnerships. A robust overview of various water conservation projects by PepsiCo Pakistan across the country was shared, including partnerships with multiple stakeholders such as the government, non-profit organizations, academia, and policymakers. PepsiCo Pakistan also honored Community Leader Dr. Humera Saleem, who has been a key part of spearheading community mobilization for the PepsiCo Foundation and WaterAid supported Access to Safe Water program in Humak, Islamabad.

    Eugene Willemsen, CEO PepsiCo Africa, Middle East, and South Asia (AMESA), and Furqan Ahmed Syed, CEO PepsiCo Pakistan and Afghanistan along with stakeholders from WWF-Pakistan, SDPI and WIT LUMS unveiled the Water Stewardship Model Community project. The expansive project willinclude water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) facilities and enable sustainable sewage water management in one underserved community in rural Punjab for a focused intervention that delivers positive outcomes. The model village will illustrate the end-result of this collaboration for water access and stewardship, improved sanitation and replenishment, employing state-of-the-art interventions for WASH and Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS). In line with our Alliance for Water Stewardship and Water Replenishment agenda, this model will exemplify PepsiCo’s commitment to directly benefiting communities within our watershed.

    A high-level panel discussion on “Accelerating Collaboration for a Net Water Positive Future ” featuring distinguished panelists Arif Jabbar Khan (Country Director WaterAid Pakistan), Dr. Shafqat Munir Ahmed (Director Resilient Development Program SDPI), Maha Qasim (CEO & Founder Zero-Point Partners) and Dr. Abubakr Muhammad (Director WIT LUMS) was also conducted at the event, focusing on critical issues related to the water crisis in Pakistan, including access to safe drinking water, sustainable water management, private sector engagement in water stewardship, and the role of technology and innovation in addressing water challenges.

    Speaking on the occasion, Eugene Willemsen, CEO PepsiCo AMESA said, “Being an agriculture company at our core, water is a critical resource for PepsiCo’s business. It is, therefore, a strong imperative for food producers like us to follow through a Net Water Positive vision, ensure water resources are in a better state due to our presence, achieve sustainable water security, replenish more water than we use and support collaborative solutions to reduce water stress at the local community-level. Local stakeholder engagements and partnerships play a key role in paving our way towards Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030. PepsiCo Pakistan’s tangible win is reflective of our accelerated water stewardship efforts in the region, reiterating our pep+ sustainability commitment to the people and the planet.”

    Syed M Abul Hassan Kazmi, Senior Director Supply Chain and Office of Sustainability Lead PepsiCo, said, “At PepsiCo, we are reengineering the ways in which we use water within our operational boundaries and outside them, in our communities. Our focus is on water protection and conservation across our value chain, in line with the vision of becoming Net Water Positive.  We have achieved 100% water replenishment in our company-owned operations in the Sundar and Multan watersheds and continue to work extensively on accelerated programs that focus on water conservation and access to safe water for communities.”

    Dr. Abubakr Muhammad added, “Leveraging the power of industry-academia linkages and information-driven technologies for water issues in Pakistan will surely accelerate transformation in water conservation and use. We are happy to assist PepsiCo, WWF-Pakistan, and SDPI at the Model Community in collecting and visualizing real-time data of various critical interventions for community uplift.”

    About PepsiCo


    PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $86 billion in net revenue in 2022, driven by a complimentary beverage and convenient foods portfolio that includes Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker, and SodaStream. PepsiCo’s product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including many iconic brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

    Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Beverages and Convenient Foods by Winning with pep+ (PepsiCo Positive). pep+ is our strategic end-to-end transformation that puts sustainability and human capital at the center of how we will create value and growth by operating within planetary boundaries and inspiring positive change for the planet and people. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com, and follow on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @PepsiCo. 

  • State should handle PTI in the same way it handles terrorist organisations: Maryam Nawaz

    Senior Vice-president of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Maryam Nawaz, has said that the state should handle arch-rival Imran Khan and his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the same manner that it handles terrorist organisations.


    The PML-N leader sat down with Mansoor Ali Khan for a long interview about a host of topics including her promotion in the party, PTI’s clashes with the police outside Zaman Park in Lahore and judiciary, the first part of which has gone on air.

    “I stood by Hamza when he became Chief Minister”

    When asked whether she deserves the spot of Chief Organiser of the party, Maryam referred to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s interview with Hamid Mir. “I spent 5-6 years working very passionately for the party. This is an acknowledgment of my relation with the people that was forged in what was the toughest period of my life and for the party,” she observed.


    Mansoor pointed out that she is now holding a position above her cousin Hamza Shehbaz. “When he became Chief Minister, which is a big post, I stood by him like an elder sister,” Maryam pointed out.

    Dispelling a question about whether Hamza was upset with the decision, Maryam Nawaz said that he has only one daughter who has heart problems and had surgery for it two years ago. “His daughter is unwell,” she revealed. The host asked that if the two cousins both win their respective seats to reach Punjab Assembly, who will be the candidate for Chief Minister. Maryam demurred and said the party will decide.


    On the matter of PML-N losing the 2022 by-elections, Maryam said that their own workers did not accept the candidates who were from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). She also rejected that the Vote of No Confidence was a mistake, implying that there was a 12-year-long plan to rig multiple elections.


    “The entire front line of PML-N was put in jail. I spent five months in jail once and then give months again. Whoever was put in jail could not come out before six months,” she reminded the anchor.

    “Let’s build a bullet-proof court inside Zaman Park”

    Dismissing the 84 cases filed against Imran Khan, Maryam Nawaz said that if he was innocent, he should prove it in court. “We showed up in court for 200 hearings,” she reminded Mansoor.


    About whether it was fair to use pictures of sitting judges while criticising the judiciary, she said, “When the law will have double standards, then it is Maryam Nawaz’s right to speak up about it.”

    Referring to Imran Khan’s reluctance to attend court proceedings, she said that she went again and again to court hearings herself when she was facing a trial. “If his life is under threat, are his workers also not facing the same who fight outside?” The host said that was there a need for such vindictiveness when Pakistan had already lost a former Premier, Benazir Bhutto, to an assassination. “Let’s then build a bullet-proof court inside Zamam Park,” she sarcastically replied.

    “State should handle Imran Khan and PTI in the same way it does terrorist organisations”

    She did not hold back when it came to the Supreme Court bench that disqualified her father Nawaz Sharif when asked about the “atmosphere of civil war” at Zaman Park when police clashed with PTI protestors. “Justice Khosa who led the Panama bench must have realised who is ‘Don’, ‘Sicilian Mafia’ and ‘Godfather’.” She said that terrorists were hiding inside the house in Zaman Park while police from Gilgit Baltistan was also there. Pointing out that this is the first time any political party had used petrol bombs to fight the police, Maryam Nawaz said only terrorists and proscribed organisations do so. “I think the state should handle Imran Khan and PTI in the same way as it does terrorist organisations,” she stressed.

    “This is cowardice”

    When Mansoor Ali Khan asked her why her party was reluctant to name former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa, Maryam Nawaz said that he himself had admitted to mistakes in interviews. “No he hasn’t,” the host said. The PML-N leader responded that her father had named General Bajwa in a rally and she had given an application against the then Director General of Inter-Services Intelligence General (retd) Faiz Hameed in court. Stating that she does not agree with Imran Khan’s criticism of Bajwa, she reminded viewers that he used to praise the former army chief when he was prime minister. “Till one day before his retirement, they were meeting him, to ask him to bring them back into power” she stated, adding that now Imran Khan was demanding court martial for General Bajwa. “This is a huge dichotomy, this is cowardice. I do not take a coward’s statements seriously,” she firmly said.


    However, Maryam Nawaz did not give a direct reply when Mansoor Ali Khan asked whether her govt will court martial Generals Bajwa and Hameed. “Bravery is to challenge cruelty when it is in full might,” she said.