A murder case has been filed against Bangladesh’s star cricket all-rounder and former Awami League Member of Parliament Shakib Al Hasan in Dhaka.
Bangladeshi media reports that authorities have charged him along with former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for the murder of an employee of a garment factory in Dhaka.
Hasina resigned from the Prime Minister post on August 5 after student protests led to widespread unrest. She is now in India. The cricketer is representing his national team in the Rawalpindi Test against Pakistan.
The entire country is stunned by the horrific accident involving Natasha, a woman from an influential background. Her over speeding SUV hit a couple of vehicles, injuring five individuals and killing a father, daughter riding on their bike on Monday (August 19).
Many people believe that while the victims’ families may receive compensation, true justice will not be delivered.
Renowned actress Bushra Ansari also spoke out against elitism and addiction in response to the tragedy. She criticised the culture in which individuals turn to drugs to deal with their difficulties, claiming that this woman will most certainly avoid justice by being considered mentally sick.
Bushra also recited a poem by her sister, Neelam Basheer, addressing the accident and urged the elites to seek therapy for their addictions instead of harming innocent people.
It is, however, unknown whether Natasha was actually under the influence of drugs while driving or not, as the case is underway. She is currently in police custody, and during the previous court hearing, her lawyer deemed her mentally ill and that she had been under medical treatment for the past five years.
Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah has suggested a joint operation by Punjab, Sindh, and Balochistan police against the dacoits of Katcha area.
Punjab Government has offered a Rs 10 million prize on the arrest or head of a high-value target dacoit and Rs 5 million for dangerous dacoits.
Earlier, a case was registered against 131 individuals of different gangs at Rahim Yar Khan after an attack on police with rocket launchers killed 12 cops.
Twelve policemen embraced martyrdom when riverine dacoits armed with guns and rocket launchers ambushed a police convoy in the Machka area of Punjab’s Rahim Yar Khan district.
According to Punjab Police, two police vans were passing through the riverine Machka area from their weekly duties when one of the mobile got stuck, after which the militants attacked the police vans with rocket launchers.
The News reported that seven policemen have been wounded in the attack as of now, with Punjab Police Chief IG Usman Anwar ordering that the injured be provided with the best possible medical facilities.
This attack is one of the deadliest in recent years, which caused the martyrdom of more than ten cops and withdrew widespread condemnation from the country’s leaders.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz condemned the attack while announcing that the attack will not go “unavenged.” She took to X to post, “11 police jawans embraced shahadat in a rocket launcher attack by Kacha gangs in Machka. It is indeed very sad but this will not go unavenged. My team under the supervision of Home Secretary, IG and CTD has been dispatched with clear directions to sort them out decisively.”
Likewise, President Asif Ali Zardari strongly condemned the incident saying, “Attacks on police and law enforcement agencies will not be tolerated.”
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered strong action be taken against the bandits while condemning the attack.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi posted on the banned social media platform X, “The gruesome attack on Punjab police in riverine area is not only condemned as minister of interior but also as a patriotic Pakistani. The attack, which has resulted in a heavy loss of life, shows the unwavering commitment of the police force to fight with such a menace.”
BANGKOK: Rescuers scoured the Thai jungle on Friday (Aug 23) for nine missing people after a turboprop plane crashed southeast of the capital, Bangkok, though authorities expected no survivors.
The aircraft went down in the jungle of Chacheongsao province on Thursday, and all on board were believed dead, Thai officials said.
Nine people – including two pilots and seven passengers – were travelling from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport to Trat province, an area on the Gulf of Thailand known for its beaches, when the plane went down.
“It happened at around 3:10 pm (4:10 pm, Singapore time). We are trying to find those missing, but we believe that they are all dead,” Chacheongsao governor Chonlatee Yangtrong told reporters at the scene on Thursday.
According to local media, the passengers comprised four Thais and five Chinese, including two children aged 12 and 13.
More than 300 military personnel and volunteers have been deployed in the search, and authorities have launched an investigation to identify the cause of the crash.
They have found some body parts, as well as pieces of the aircraft, authorities said.
But heavy rainfall is hampering the search.
“We are not planning to stop until we find them, although there are some waterlogged areas,” Chonlatee said.
Pakistani women fighters won gold medals in the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Asian Championship held in Lahore.
National fighter Bano Butt won a gold medal in junior and Eman Khan in senior categories. No opponent could stand up to both fighters. Pakistan’s Bushra Ahmed won the silver medal in bantamweight.
In the men’s events, Pakistan’s Shahab Khan, Zeeshan Akbar, and Abdul Manan won silver medals in various categories. A total of 180 athletes from 23 countries participated in this event.
Singer and actor Junaid Khan has revealed that he had slapped actress Sanam Saeed for a scene.
Appearing on Ahmed Ali Butt’s podcast, Junaid talked about the time that he slapped actress Sanam during the shooting of drama series Mata-e-Jaan in 2012.
“Honestly, I still feel bad about what I did, but it was a necessary part of the script, and I was just doing what the director told me to do,” the actor said.
Junaid recalled the uncomfortable experience,
“I didn’t want to do it, but Jabbar and Saeed kept pushing me to actually slap the actress to make the scene look real. I hesitantly did a slow slap, but the director said it wasn’t intense enough for the camera”, Khan added.
Everyone is watching the aftermath of the Karsaz accident that took place in Karachi earlier this week, when Natasha Danish’s speeding SUV collided with several vehicles, killing a father and his daughter on a motorbike and injuring five others. Post-accident videos circulating on social media show Natasha being surrounded by a large, irate crowd as security guards protected her and took her into custody. Natasha appeared disoriented. Meanwhile, people called for her death as the two victims lay dead on the road—a scene that could have ended differently without police and rangers.
While the case is underway in court, people have started their own speculative investigations, suggesting Natasha’s disorientation might be due to alcohol or drugs, and that because she is married into an affluent family, she will get away with it all. On the other hand, her lawyer states she has been undergoing medical treatment for poor mental health for the past five years, describing her as a “psychological patient.”
Natasha should not have been driving, and the loss of 27-year-old Amna and her father is irreplaceable. But would it have been fair if the mob had taken the law into their own hands?
While the majority believe Natasha, being an ‘ameerzaadi,’ must pay with her life, the legal nature of the accident remains undecided.
What does the law say?
According to the Pakistan Penal Code 1860, anyone committing qatl-i-khata by “rash or negligent driving shall, having regard to the facts and circumstances of the case, in addition to diyat, be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to ten years.”
Similarly, under Islamic law, the punishment for murder, homicide, or injury depends on qisas or diyat, i.e., corresponding punishment for the crime or monetary compensation for the victims or their legal heirs.
In this case, it was not pre-meditated murder. No prior connection between the driver and the victims has been established to suggest that Natasha set out to murder Amna and her father. It was a terrible accident, one that took the lives of two valued citizens and Natasha will have to face the law for the crime she has committed.
Why do people feel the need to enforce the law themselves despite existing rules and regulations? Is this a reflection of growing frustration among the masses, who have repeatedly seen the elite evade justice for crimes? Despite the fact that this case is nothing like the murder of Noor Mukkadam and Shahzeb Khan, Noor who was tortured and murdered by Zahir Jaffer, and Shahzeb who was mercilessly shot by Shahrukh Jatoi, comparisons are continuously – and wrongly – being made on social media.
Could the comparisons explain why people have reacted so violently to Natasha, who was driving an expensive car and dressed in gym clothes, visibly disoriented? Would the reaction have been different to a ‘modestly dressed’ individual who might have been – and looked – less affluent?
Until the social and economic divide in our country is addressed, justice will remain questionable. The rich and powerful are often seen as above the law, while others are seen as seekers of elusive justice. Consequently, cries for ‘mob justice’ and demands to ‘hang her in the city center’ in our social media world will persist. Natasha must face the consequences of her actions, whether accidental or not. She must be given a fair trial and be sentenced for her crimes based on her actions but not on her background.
The incumbent federal government has approved Rs 20 billion special allocation for the Azme-e-Istehkam operation during a meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) to combat terrorism and extremism.
The meeting, presided over by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, allocated Rs 1.95 billion to Frontier Corp (FC) Balochistan for security expenses of the Reko Diq project and Rs 276.5 million to Frontier Corp Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) for project implementation Letters (PILs) out of Rs 2.23 billion.
Operation Azm-e-Istehkam, initiated by the Pakistan Army, is the seventh operation since the 2000s. It was followed by Rad-ul-Fasad in 2017.
The cabinet also approved Rs 100,000 sugar export at the request of Minister for Industries and Production Rana Tanveer Hussain.
The Board of Directors of Lahore Electricity Supply Company (LESCO) has decided not to promote national hero and Olympic gold medalist Arshad Nadeem to 19th grade.
According to Samaa News, LESCO Sports Board had recommended promoting Arshad Nadeem from 18th to 19th grade, but the chairman of the new board has yet to agree.
According to the rules, a sportsman can get promoted to a maximum grade of 18. The LESCO board says that the rules have to be changed to promote Arshad Nadeem.
It has been decided that the summary should be sent to the Water and Power Development Authority Pakistan (WAPDA) Sports Board for Nadeem’s promotion.
Earlier, a ceremony was organized at the WAPDA House in honour of the Javelin Hero and other Olympians. Chairman WAPDA Sajjad Ghani awarded Arshad Nadeem a reward of 50 lakh rupees.
The Pakistani rupee (PKR) experienced a slight decline against the US dollar on Thursday, depreciating by 0.05 per cent in the inter-bank market.
The currency closed at Rs278.67, marking a decrease of Rs0.15 from the previous day’s rate of Rs278.52, according to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).
In comparison with other major currencies, the rupee faced mixed outcomes today:
Currency
Previous rate
Today’s rate
Change (PKR)
Euro
309.59
310.65
1.05
British Pound
362.60
365.10
2.50
Swiss Franc
325.44
328.04
2.60
South Korean Won
—
0.21
—
Japanese Yen
1.9063
1.9165
1.02 paisa
Chinese Yuan
39.03
39.06
3.1 paisa
Saudi Riyal
74.23
74.27
3.87 paisa
UAE Dirham
75.87
75.83
4.06 paisa
PKR vs other currencies
Euro to PKR: The rupee lost Rs1.05, closing at Rs310.65, compared to the previous rate of Rs309.59.
British Pound to PKR: The rupee depreciated by Rs2.50, ending the day at Rs365.10, up from Rs362.60.
Swiss Franc to PKR: The rupee fell by Rs2.60, closing at Rs328.04, compared to Rs325.44 from the previous session.
Won to PKR: The Pakistani rupee was reportedly trading at Rs0.21 paisa against Won
Japanese Yen to PKR: The rupee saw a slight decline of 1.02 paisa, closing at Rs1.9165 versus Rs1.9063.
Chinese Yuan to PKR: The rupee gained 3.1 paisa, closing at Rs39.06, up from Rs39.03.
Saudi Riyal to PKR: The rupee increased by 3.87 paisa, closing at Rs74.27, compared to Rs74.23.
UAE Dirham to PKR: The rupee appreciated by 4.06 paisa, closing at Rs75.83, up from Rs75.87.
Over the current financial year, the rupee has depreciated by 32.82 paisa or 0.12 per cent against the US dollar, while it has appreciated by Rs3.19 or 1.15 per cent since the beginning of the calendar year.
In the money market, the benchmark 6-month Karachi Interbank Bid and Offer rates fell by 63 basis points to 17.69 per cent and 17.94 per cent, respectively.
The domestic currency has remained relatively stable in recent months, hovering around the Rs277-279 range against the dollar, as traders monitor positive economic indicators and await the approval of a new $7 billion Extended Fund Facility from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
On Wednesday, Pakistan’s Finance Minister, Muhammad Aurangzeb, stated that the IMF Executive Board meeting on Pakistan is scheduled for September, noting that “good progress” is being made with the IMF.
It is worth noting that this is the third consecutive decline witnessed in the ongoing week.
Additionally, regarding the Pakistani currency, the central bank plans to introduce newly designed currency notes across all denominations next year to enhance security features, according to SBP Governor Jameel Ahmad.
Speaking to a parliamentary body in Islamabad on Wednesday, Ahmad stated that the central bank aims to finalise the new designs by December, with the notes to be issued in phases. Notably, one of the denominations will be a polymer note, he added.
