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  • Iss dafa Parliament se bahir nahin jayenge; PTI changes protests strategy

    Iss dafa Parliament se bahir nahin jayenge; PTI changes protests strategy

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said on Wednesday that his party- along with allies in opposition- is planning a protest however rather than playing fractious politics, this time his party will be taking the parliamentary route.

    Speaking to journalists in Islamabad, the PTI chairman said that the party was in talks with a few parties in the opposition like Jamaat-i-Islami, BNP-Mengal, Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, Majlis Wahdat Muslimeen which would continue after Eidul Fitr break.

    When the chairman was asked about his party’s strategy for staging protests, he emphasized that PTI would not go for a sit-in, or a boycott of parliament even though they believe that their mandate has been stolen.

    “It is everyone’s demand that elections should never be rigged. The people vote for someone and someone else comes to power, this shouldn’t happen,” he said, explaining the reasons behind the protest movement.

    This decision can be seen as a significant shift from past party politics for the last decade.

  • Saba Faisal does not want to be called Aunty

    Saba Faisal does not want to be called Aunty

    Saba Faisal is not your Aunty and you better not call her that either.

    The television star recently appeared on Green Entertainment’s  ‘Life Green Hai’  Ramazan transmission where she talked openly about actors or friends who act younger than they are and use terms like aunty or aapa to refer to others.

    “I don’t want people to call me aunty. I really don’t want that,” she stared firmly.

    “A few months ago, people misunderstood something I said on Nadia Khan’s show. She asked if I receive marriage proposals, and I responded, ‘I still receive messages from young boys.’ Unfortunately, that statement was misinterpreted and spread everywhere, causing a lot of discussion.”

     Veteran actress Hina Bayat who was also invited as a guest on the show also said, “It’s important for people to understand that admiration like this does exist, and we value such fans. However, we don’t take such matters seriously.”

  • How is gas shortage worsening health crises in Karachi?

    How is gas shortage worsening health crises in Karachi?

    The number of gastroenteritis cases in Karachi has been steadily increasing, a statistic that doctors claim is ticking upwards because of the consumption of contaminated water for drinking purposes owing to the shortage of gas and its soaring prices which has forced many people to use water without boiling it.


    Water supplies to the city had been found to be highly contaminated on multiple occasions. The general practice is to properly boil or filter to make it safe for drinking.


    Faiza Ilyas from Dawn talked to the doctors at the Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK), where around 1,500 patients daily report to the emergency department, shared that the cases of gastroenteritis had seen a rise in recent days.“Currently, gastroenteritis constitutes 70 to 80 percent of our cases being reported at the hospital’s emergency department on a daily basis. There are a few cases of cholera as well,” shared CHK additional medical superintendent Dr Liaquat Ali Halo.


    Patients have been complaining of acute watery diarrhea and are administered intravenous fluids for rehydration.


    Most patients are discharged within a few hours while some require admission.


    Dr. Halo said the reasons behind the increase in gastroenteritis cases as lack of chlorination and filtration been a major factor that contributed to frequent episodes of outbreaks of gastroenteritis in the city, besides consumption of contaminated foods from roadsides and poor hand hygiene.“Many patients tell us that they are forced to use unboiled water for drinking as gas supplies are highly inadequate in their localities and the filtered water has become costlier,” Dr. Halo said, adding that inadequate cooking and eating contaminated raw food and vegetables could also cause illnesses.


    Commenting on the city’s public health situation, Dr. Altaf Hussain Khatri, a senior general physician based in the old city area, said gas shortage amid a drastic increase in prices of food and utilities had made the survival of poor families extremely challenging.


    “The gas shortage has further compounded miseries of the masses and compromised public health,” he said, adding that along with gastroenteritis, patients with respiratory infections were still reporting in high numbers to general physicians.


    “They are very effective as they filter sediments and kill pathogens,” he said.

  • Tehreek e Namoos Pakistan sends threatening letters to SC

    Tehreek e Namoos Pakistan sends threatening letters to SC

    After arriving at the doorsteps of Islamabad High Court (IHC) judges, letters containing suspicious powdery substance and threatening messages have been sent to the four Supreme Court (SC) judges – including Justice Qazi Faez Isa and Justice Mansoor Ali Shah.

    Importantly, on the same day four judges of Lahore High Court received the threatening letter as well containing suspicious powdery substance.

    The suspicious powder was suspected to be anthrax.

    The letter sent to the SC jurists read, “You people at the Supreme court of Pakistan are pretending to do justice since the inception of this country. Year after year this country is pluming into chaos, poverty, corruption and disorder. SCP was supposed to be the final and ultimate check for all that is wrong in our holy country instead it became very part of the problem and rescuer of evil.”

    It further said, “Judges, Generals and politicians are the curse and disease of motherland. We Tehreek e Namoos e Pakistan say NO More…”

    Tehreek e Namoos Pakistan (TNP) is a relatively new militant group whose name emerged once before last year. It was when a team of the Wild Life Department discovered explosives and maps related to sensitive installations of the Red Zone at Margalla hills, on Trail 5 of Islamabad, September 17 2023.

  • Teaser of ‘Let’s Try Mohabbat’ starring Mawra Hocane, Danyal Zafar is out

    Teaser of ‘Let’s Try Mohabbat’ starring Mawra Hocane, Danyal Zafar is out

    Green Entertainment is producing an upcoming mini drama series called ‘Let’s Try Mohabbat,’ starring the talented Mawra Hocane. Danyal Zafar, known for his role in Stand up Girl, will also appear in the drama along with talent powerhouse Gohar Rasheed and Shahzad Nawaz.
    This is the first time Mawra and Danyal Zafar are working together on a project. It is directed by Angeline Malik and written by Zeeshan Junaid.

    The teaser showcased the main actors Mawra and Danyal. The melodious OST of the drama played in the background, adding to the teaser’s allure.
    Check out the teaser below:

  • PCB buys entire building near Gaddafi Stadium

    PCB buys entire building near Gaddafi Stadium

    Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has bought a multi-storied building near Gaddafi Stadium Lahore to solve the long-standing problem of accommodation for local and international cricketers.

    According to details, a multi-storied building was constructed very close to the Gaddafi Stadium. PCB objected to its construction due to security concerns. Legal disputes led to halts in construction work.

    The builder had also taken money from people for the flats when he was stopped after which he offered to sell the building to PCB. There was progress on the project in the recent tenure of Zaka Ashraf as chairman of the board, but sources say that PCB has now officially bought the building for Rs four billion.

    The building is currently in unfinished condition as an apartment complex so they will need to renovate it to turn it into a hotel.
    The project will cost more funds but once it reaches the completion stage, it will solve a major problem of accommodation for foreign and local cricketers.

    At present, the teams stay in local five-star hotels which cost the PCB millions of rupees. However, due to security reasons, the roads leading from the hotel to the stadium are closed due to which the people are facing problems.

  • Change culture of lying, accusations’, Maryam wants speedy trials in defamation cases

    Change culture of lying, accusations’, Maryam wants speedy trials in defamation cases

    The Chief Minister of Punjab, Maryam Nawaz presided over the fifth session of the provincial cabinet on April 3.

    The cabinet approved the creation of special speedy trial courts across the province aimed at the expedition of cases related to the physical and sexual assault of children.

    Furthermore, the cabinet was briefed on the proposed amendments to the defamation laws and the establishment of speedy trial courts in defamation cases as well.

    A bill is set to be presented in the Punjab Assembly which would aim to issue decree within ninety days and most importantly completion of trial within 180 days in defamation cases.

    “The culture of lying and accusation will have to be changed,” said Maryam Nawaz in the session.

    It was also observed that the notices in defamation cases could be given through major newspapers, social media, and courier services following the passage of the bill.

  • Pakistan facing 30 percent water shortage for sowing season

    Pakistan facing 30 percent water shortage for sowing season

    Pakistan is facing a 30 percent water shortage at the start of the sowing season for cash crops such as rice and cotton, the country’s water regulator said.

    The Indus River System Authority (IRSA) said the gap is based on lower-than-normal winter snowfall in Pakistan’s northern glacier region, affecting catchment areas of the Indus and Jhelum Rivers that are used for irrigation.

    Kharif crops, or monsoon crops, including rice, maize, sugarcane and cotton are sown in April and require a wet and warm climate with high levels of rainfall.

    “There was less snow than normal as a result of climate change affecting the country’s glaciers,” Muhammad Azam Khan, assistant researcher with IRSA, which regulates the distribution of water resources along the Indus river, told AFP on Wednesday.

    “This will have a direct impact on the availability of water for kharif crops in the summer.”

    The water shortage gap is expected to narrow as the monsoon rains arrive later in the season.

    However, the country’s meteorological department has also forecast higher than normal temperatures during monsoon season, increasing uncertainty.

    Agriculture is the largest sector of Pakistan’s economy, contributing about 24 percent of its GDP.

    But it has been criticized for being water inefficient.

    “What this current water shortfall means for the crops is that authorities will have to better plan on how to utilize the water that is allotted to them,” said IRSA’s Khan.

    Pakistan, the world’s fifth-largest country with a population of more than 250 million, has recently been grappling with the profound impacts of climate change which includes shifting and unpredictable weather patterns.

    Devastating floods in 2022 — which scientists linked to climate change — that affected more than 30 million people also severely impacted Pakistan’s cotton crop that year.

  • Palestinian-US doctor walks out of Biden meeting in Gaza protest

    Palestinian-US doctor walks out of Biden meeting in Gaza protest

    Washington (AFP) – A Palestinian-American doctor said he walked out of a Ramadan event with President Joe Biden at the White House to show solidarity with the people of Gaza against Israel’s offensive.

    Thaer Ahmad, who traveled to Gaza earlier this year, told CNN he left the meeting between Biden and members of the Muslim community on Tuesday in protest at US “rhetoric” supporting Israel.

    “I let him know that I am from a community that’s reeling. We are grieving. Our heart is broken for what’s been taking place over the last six months,” Ahmad, an emergency doctor from Chicago, said he told the president.

    He said he then “let him know that out of respect for my community, out of respect for all of the people who have suffered, who have been killed in the process, I need to walk out of the meeting.”

    Biden “actually said that he understood,” he added.

    The White House said on Wednesday that Biden respected the doctor’s stance.

    “The president respects any American’s right to peacefully protest,” Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told a briefing. “He understands that this is a painful moment for many Americans.”

    Biden had downsized the traditional event to mark the Muslim holy month of Ramadan amid growing domestic anger over his support for Israel’s offensive in Gaza following October 7 attacks.

    Muslim leaders met the president but asked for there to be no fast-breaking dinner, with Biden holding only a small meal separately with Muslim White House staff.

    Tensions over Gaza soared further this week after an Israeli air strike killed seven employees of a US-based charity, World Central Kitchen, on Monday.

    Biden said on Tuesday he was “outraged” and accused Israel of not doing enough to protect aid workers or civilians, in one of his strongest statements since the war started.

    “I think you can sense the frustration in that statement yesterday,” US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.

    But the White House said that Biden continued to support Israel’s “right to defend itself” and there were no plans to curb arms deliveries to the key US ally.

  • Ihsanullah’s injury misdiagnosed which led to failed surgery: Ali Tareen

    Ihsanullah’s injury misdiagnosed which led to failed surgery: Ali Tareen

    Ali Tareen, owner of Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Multan Sultans, has said that their star fast bowler Ihsanullah’s elbow injury was misdiagnosed, which led to a botched surgery.

    He said that Multan Sultans retained Ihsanullah in PSL 9 despite the elbow injury with the aim of working with Multan Sultans physio, strength conditioning coach.

    He said that Ihsanullah is being sent to England this month, where a specialist surgeon will examine him, adding that PCB has given them permission for Ihsanullah’s treatment in England.

    Ihsanullah was a key-performing bowler from Multan Sultans in the previous season of Pakistan Super League.