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  • Famous Pakistanis who met Queen Elizabeth

    Famous Pakistanis who met Queen Elizabeth

    Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch in British history, breathed her last on Thursday in Balmoral Castle, United Kingdom (UK) at the age of 96.

    In 1961, Queen Elizabeth visited Pakistan. She was accompanied by her husband, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip. She visited Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta, Lahore, and other areas of the country.

    The Queen next visited Pakistan 36 years later in 1997 when the country was celebrating 50 years of independence. She was again accompanied by her husband, Prince Philip.

    Here is the list of the Pakistanis who met Queen Elizabeth II during her lifetime.

    In 1974, Queen Elizabeth met Imran Khan, who was a cricketer back then. In the picture, she can be seen shaking hands with Khan.

    In 1997, Queen Elizabeth met former Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif (who was in power at the time) when she visited Pakistan for the second time. During her visit, knighthood was given to Sharif by the British monarch.

    The Queen also met former PM Benazir Bhutto.

    In 2013, the Queen and Prince Philip invited Pakistan’s young activist Malala Yousafzai to a reception at the Buckingham Palace, where they met and chatted for a short time.

    Malala, who was accompanied by her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, presented the Queen with a copy of her newly published memoir, titled “I am Malala”.

    Before the start of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) World Cup 2019, all team captains met The Queen. At the time, Pakistani cricket team captain Sarfraz Ahmed also met her at the Buckingham Palace.

  • Queen Elizabeth has passed away: Here is what may happen in the next ten days

    Queen Elizabeth has passed away: Here is what may happen in the next ten days

    Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch in British history, breathed her last on Thursday in Balmoral Castle, United Kingdom (UK) at the age of 96.
    “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon,” a display message on the official website of the Royal family reads.

    “The official website of the Royal Family is temporarily unavailable while appropriate changes are made.”

    Who is the new King?

    Charles, as the queen’s eldest son, inherited the sovereign title and job as head of the Commonwealth, along with other assets such as land and property.

    Charles, 73, is the longest-serving heir in British history after waiting decades to get to the throne. The queen and her late husband, Prince Philip, had four children together, with him being the oldest. He became Britain’s heir apparent at age 3 when his mother succeeded to the throne at the age of 25. Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay, and Earl of Carrick are some of Charles’ titles.


    The Prince and Princess of Wales were born after Charles wed Diana Spencer in 1981. William and Harry, two princes, were born to them. Charles and Diana separated in 1992. Charles wed Camilla Parker Bowles, who is now known as the Duchess of Cornwall, in 2005 after Diana passed away in 1997.

    Will Camilla become the new Queen?


    The title of queen is typically bestowed upon the king’s wife, but in Camilla’s case, this hasn’t always been the case.
    At the time of Charles and Camilla’s wedding in 2005, it was agreed that she would be referred to as princess consort rather than queen. However, now that he is king, Charles has the option of changing this designation.

    What is expected to happen in the next ten days?
    Day 1:

    Charles will be officially proclaimed King. This happens at St James’s Palace in London, in front of a ceremonial body known as the Accession Council. The same day, in the afternoon, the new king will have audiences with the prime minister and cabinet, the leader of the opposition, the archbishop of Canterbury and the dean of Westminster.


    Day 2:
    The Queen’s coffin will return to Buckingham Palace. Proclamations will be read in the devolved administrations. Tributes are likely to continue in parliament.


    Day 3:
    In the morning, King Charles will receive the motion of condolence at Westminster Hall.
    In the afternoon, he will embark on a tour of the United Kingdom, starting with a visit to the Scottish parliament and a service at St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh.


    Day 4:
    King Charles will land in Northern Ireland, where he will attend a ceremony at St. Anne’s Cathedral in Belfast and receive a further motion of sympathy at Hillsborough Castle.
    Rehearsals for the funeral will be taking place.


    Day 5:
    On the fifth day, a procession will begin, starting at Buckingham Palace and ending at the Houses of Parliament, then a service will be held at Westminster Hall.
    The Queen will then be placed on display for three days so that the public can view her coffin.


    Day 6:
    On the fifth day, a procession will begin, starting at Buckingham Palace and ending at the Houses of Parliament, then a service will be held at Westminster Hall.


    Day 7:
    King Charles will travel to Wales to receive another motion of condolence at the Welsh parliament and attend a service at Liandaff Cathedral in Cardiff.


    Day 08:
    Prime ministers and governors general from the countries are anticipated to attend King Charles’ coronation.


    Day 09:
    Charles will extend an invitation to visiting royal families from other countries the night before the funeral. VIP foreign visitors are anticipated at the lying in state.


    Day 10:
    The state funeral itself will be held at Westminster Abbey.
    There will be a two-minutes’ silence across the nation at midday.
    Processions will take place in London and Windsor.
    There will be a committal service in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, and the queen will be buried in the castle’s King George VI Memorial Chapel.

  • Queen Elizabeth: World leaders remember when they met her

    Queen Elizabeth: World leaders remember when they met her

    Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch in British history, breathed her last on Thursday in Balmoral Castle, United Kingdom (UK) at the age of 96.

    In a statement, Buckingham Palace said: “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and the Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.”

    The royal family’s official website carried the message: “Queen Elizabeth II 1926-2022” along with an official statement issued by Buckingham Palace.

    Flags on landmark buildings in Britain were being lowered to half mast as a period of official mourning was announced. Royal residences that are open to the public will be closed.

    Shortly after the official announcement, world leaders took to Twitter to extend their condolences.

    President Arif Alvi expressed his sincere condolences.

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif extends his heartfelt condolences to the Royal Family, people and government of the UK.

    https://twitter.com/PresOfPakistan/status/1567934211637628940?s=20&t=59bb4GrkTNi98ERzhcRB8A

    UK’s newly elected PM Liz Truss mourned the death of her country’s monarch. She released a statement that reads: “With the King’s family, we mourn the loss of his mother. As we mourn, we must come together as a people to support him. To help him bear the awesome responsibility that he now carries for us all.”

    United States (US) President Joe Biden shared a statement on the demise of the Queen. “Queen Elizabeth II was a stateswoman of unmatched dignity constancy who deepened the bedrock of the Alliance between the United Kingdom and the United States. She helped make our relationship special,” Biden said.

    Chinese President Xi Jinping offered “sincere sympathies to the British government and people” following the Queen’s death, adding: “Her passing is a great loss to the British people.”

    Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida expressed his “deep sorrow”. “The loss of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is a great loss not only to the British people but also to the international community. Japan’s thoughts are with the United Kingdom as the British people overcome this deepest sadness”, he said.

    Canadian Prime Minister (PM) Justin Trudeau said, “It was with the heaviest of hearts that we learned of the passing of Canada’s longest-reigning Sovereign, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. She was a constant presence in our lives – and her service to Canadians will forever remain an important part of our country’s history.”

    French President Emmanuel Macron said, “Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II embodied the British nation’s continuity and unity for over 70 years. I remember her as a friend of France, a kind-hearted queen who has left a lasting impression on her country and her century.”

    Indian PM Narendra Modi, in a tweet, said he had memorable meetings with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

    “I had memorable meetings with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II during my UK visits in 2015 and 2018. I will never forget her warmth and kindness. During one of the meetings, she showed me the handkerchief Mahatma Gandhi gifted her at her wedding. I will always cherish that gesture.”

    Finish PM Sanna Marin said, “My deepest condolences to the Royal Family, people of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. Our thoughts are with the family and loved ones of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.”

    Finland’s President Sauli Niinisto said, “Queen’s sense of duty and devotion to service are an example to us all. Deepest condolences to the Royal Family and the people of the UK.”

    Earlier, it was reported that Queen’s doctors were concerned about her health and she was under observation.

    All the Queen’s children travelled to Balmoral, near Aberdeen, after doctors placed the Queen under medical supervision.

    Her grandson, Prince William, is also there, with his brother, Prince Harry, on his way.

  • Queen Elizabeth II dies at 96

    Queen Elizabeth II dies at 96

    Royal family officials reported that the queen passed away peacefully on Thursday afternoon at Balmoral Castle, her home in the Scottish Highlands.

    She is currently at Balmoral with her son King Charles, who will return to London on Friday.

    The longest reigning British monarch was Queen Elizabeth II, who ruled the United Kingdom for seven decades.

    Here’s the tweet from the royal family:

    The queen has performed fewer official responsibilities in recent years, occasionally skipping engagements where her attendance used to be expected.

    Her recent mobility problems have caused her to spend a lot of time at the family’s rural estate near London, Windsor Castle, and the Scottish castle, Balmoral.

  • British-Pakistani Baroness to the House of Lords Shaista Gohir: ‘Anger drives me’

    British-Pakistani Baroness to the House of Lords Shaista Gohir: ‘Anger drives me’

    Shaista Gohir OBE, CEO of the Muslim Women’s Network UK was appointed Baroness to the House of Lords through her nomination as a non-affiliate peer at the House of Lords. ‘OBE’ [Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire] next to her name refers to the title used for the second highest ranking officer in the order of the British Empire.

    Gohir has been a trailblazing women’s rights campaigner, especially as an ambitions Muslim woman striving to achieve progressive attitudes amidst Islamophobia and the response of active gendered Islamisation. She joined the Muslim Women’s Network UK (MWNUK) in 2005 and spent almost 17 years developing the organisation from a handful of volunteers to a nationally acknowledged charity, becoming Executive Director, then Chair and eventually Co-Chair so she can diversify her efforts.

    In a report for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Gohir writes, “More Muslim women need to be empowered with information to be able to challenge religious extremist rhetoric… More resources need to be created to highlight role models and relevant role models need to be included in the education curriculum.” Shaista Gohir has done extensive work on building the epistemic necessity of female Muslim role models in society.

    On January 15, 2015, Gohir launched a national helpline for Muslim women to help those who are stuck in situations of domestic violence or sexual abuse from family members. Born to parents who hailed from Daultalla, Tehsil Gujarkhan in Rawalpindi, they moved to England in the 1960s, where she was raised by a single mother who worked long hours in a clothing factory. Growing up, even as a child, she had to take care of her siblings and feed them as her mother continued to labor to financially sustain the family. On this subject she tells The Guardian, “Even in a single-parent family, I saw how women would take responsibility for men’s bad behaviour.”

    Her organisation MWNUK has researched extensively the sexual exploitation of Asian girls and their ability to report and on child sexual exploitation and how it can be reported by the members of the service industry. She has also written for The Guardian, advocating Muslim women’s rights, where she talks about a comprehensive report compiled in 2015 by her organisation on the subject of shariah councils and Muslim divorce for women, titled “Information and Guidance on Muslim Marriage and Divorce in Britain”.

    Shaista Gohir has extensively advocated for the rights of Muslim women and given a way of articulation to the problems they face in the West. And so naturally, in light of her relentless efforts, she was appointed as a Baroness to the House of Lords earlier today. Talking to The News and GEO, she emphasised that through her organisation Nisa Global Foundation in Pakistan she wants to expand her mission of supporting and empowering women.

    “A lot of these women are suffering in silence, and they aren’t strong enough to vocalise that they want help,” Gohir says in an interview with The Guardian, “I don’t mind taking the flak.”

  • Texas school shooting: 19 children, 2 adults killed inside Robb Elementary School

    Texas school shooting: 19 children, 2 adults killed inside Robb Elementary School

    On Tuesday, May 24, an 18-year-old gunman, Salvador Ramos, who killed at least 19 children and two adults in a school shooting at Robb Elementary School, in Uvalde, a small city west of San Antionio. The school had second through fourth grade kids attending and apart from those killed, several were injured.

    Only ten days ago, 10 people were brutally killed by another gunman in an aggressive racist attack, inside a grocery store in Buffalo, New York.

    Addressing the American nation on the night of Tuesday, President Biden called for action and severely lamented that the attack had taken place, but did not clarify his policy decision or vote. “Where in the God’s name is our backbone, the courage to do more and then stand up to the lobbies? It’s time to turn this pain into action,” says President Biden

    Some images of students and teachers who were killed in the shooting at Robb Elementary School – [Top L to R]: Xavier Lopez (10 y/o), Nevaeh Bravo (4th grade), Tess Mata (4th grade). [Bottom L to R]: Makenna Lee Elrod (10 y/o), Amerie Garza (10 y/o), Eva Mireles (17 years of teaching)

    Eva Mireles, a fourth grade teacher who had been teaching at the school for almost 17 years now. She had one daughter and was married to a law enforcement officer in Uvalde. Her daughter was diagnosed with Down Syndrome and she was trying harder every day to provide a better future for her. Parents of her students tweeted in her memory.

    10-year-old Amerie Jo Garza, who was in fourth grade was also shot this Tuesday, and had celebrated her birthday only two weeks ago before the shooting. It is reported that she was attempting to call 911 for help. Finding out about her death, her father said, “My little love is now flying high with the angels above. Please don’t take a second for granted. Hug your family. Tell them you love them. I love you Amerie jo. Watch over your baby brother for me.”

    10-year-old Makenna Elrod’s father Brandon Elrod spoke to ABC News on Tuesday afternoon, and said that he was searching for his 10-year-old daughter but he feared that she might not be alive. Unable to find her initially, he headed towards the funeral home.

    Parents of the children who were shot have given several statements to the national media expressing disbelief and denial in having lost their children in this manner. Although the gunman also died on the spot, the family members of these children were left extremely traumatized.

  • Foreign pilgrims can now apply for Umrah and visit permits via an app

    The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah launched a new service that would allow foreign pilgrims to apply for Umrah and prayer permits to the Grand Mosque in Makkah as well as the Prophet’s (PBUH) Mosque in Madina through mobile applications, reports Arab News.

    The statement of Saudi Press Agency reads, “In cooperation with Saudi Data & Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announced the launch of a new service that allows overseas pilgrims to get permits for Umrah and prayer in the Grand Mosque, as well as for visiting the Prophet’s Mosque through ‘Eatmarna’ and ‘Tawakkalna’ Applications.”

    According to the ministry, pilgrims applying for the permits must first register on the Quddum platform. Travellers have been advised to download both Eatmarna and Tawakkalna applications on their mobile phones before arriving in Saudi Arabia.

    Earlier, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj announced that pilgrims wishing to perform Umrah would no longer be required to wait for 14 days to book for the ritual.

    Last month, the Grand Mosque in Makkah operated at full capacity, with worshippers praying shoulder-to-shoulder with masks being mandatory for the first time since the pandemic began.

  • Teenager sells young wife to 55-year-old man to buy smartphone

    Teenager sells young wife to 55-year-old man to buy smartphone

     Police arrested a 17-year-old man in India’s Odisha for selling his young wife to a 55-year-old man to buy a cellular phone, India today has reported.

    The teenager got married in July this year. He met a 55-year old man at his work in a brick kiln to whom he sold his wife.

    Police have rescued the 26-year-old wife from the south-eastern Rajasthan district of Baran after facing “great difficulty” because the villagers resisted handing over the woman to the police, saying that they had paid for her.

    Police officials said that the man took his wife to Rajasthan with him in August when he started a job there but only a few days later, he decided to sell her to the 55-year-old man for INR 1.8 lakh (PKR 4.18 lakh).

    Read More: Man asks police to put him behind bars to escape ‘unbearable’ life with wife

    After getting the money, the man splurged money on dining and then bought a smartphone. Later on, he returned to his village and when the woman’s family asked about her, he lied that she had run away.

    Police said that the woman’s family did not believe him and decided to register a complaint with the police. Upon further investigation, it turned out that the boy had sold his wife off.

    The report says that since the boy was under 18 years of age, he was sent to a juvenile court. The court ordered the man to be taken to a correctional facility.

  • Man asks police to put him behind bars to escape ‘unbearable’ life with wife

    Man asks police to put him behind bars to escape ‘unbearable’ life with wife

    A man under house arrest in Italy went to a police barrack and asked them to put him behind bars because life with his wife at home was unbearable, the police said Sunday.

    As per reports, the 30-year-old Albanian citizen “was no longer able to cope with the forced cohabitation with his wife”, the Carabinieri police said in a statement.

    “Exasperated by the situation, he preferred to escape, spontaneously presenting himself to the Carabinieri to ask to serve his sentence behind bars,” they wrote.

    Read More: https://currentold.perceptiond.net/no-mutton-no-marriage-groom-calls-off-wedding/

    The man had been under house arrest for drug crimes for several months and had a few years left to serve, an official Captain Francesco Giacomo told AFP.

    “He lived at home with his wife and family. It wasn’t going well anymore,” Ferrante said.

    “He said, ‘Listen, my domestic life has become hell, I can’t do it anymore, I want to go to jail.’

    The man was immidiately arrested for violating his house arrest and judicial authorities ordered his transfer to prison.

  • US envoy to Afghanistan resigns two months after chaotic withdrawal

    US envoy to Afghanistan resigns two months after chaotic withdrawal

    United States envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad is stepping down, the State Department has announced, less than two months after the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban takeover of the country, reported Al Jazeera.

    Zalmay Khalilzad led the US dialogue with the Taliban. The Taliban took control in August after capturing the capital Kabul.

    In a letter to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Zalmay Khalilzad acknowledged that “the political arrangement between the Afghan government and the Taliban did not go forward as envisaged”, reports BBC.

    “The reasons for this are too complex and I will share my thoughts in the coming days and weeks,” he wrote, saying he was stepping aside as the US entered the “new phase of our Afghanistan policy”.

    He added that he was “saddened” for the Afghan people given the current outcome.

    Khalilzad will be replaced by his deputy, Tom West, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on Monday, noting that West will work closely with the US embassy, which is now based in Doha, on US interests in Afghanistan.