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  • Phir say ‘Ain’; PTI’s obsession with Urdu alphabet continues

    Phir say ‘Ain’; PTI’s obsession with Urdu alphabet continues

    In the politics of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI), the Urdu letter “Ain” holds immense importance.

    PTI founder Imran Khan has nominated Omar Ayub Khan, whose name starts with “Ain,” as the prime ministerial candidate.

    PTI also nominated Ali Amin Gandapur, whose name also starts with “Ain,” as the party candidate for the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

    There are interesting and funny comments about this on social media, reminding us that Imran also begins with Ain, Usman Buzdar with Ain, Arif Alvi, Omar Ayub, and Ali Amin Gandapur all start with Ain.

    During PTI government, speculation was rife that Bushra Bibi asked Iman Khan to appoint a person whose name starts with ‘Ain’ as the chief minister of Punjab. After that, the PTI founder chose Usman Buzdar.

  • Maryam Nawaz briefed on Punjab projects even before CM election

    Maryam Nawaz briefed on Punjab projects even before CM election

    The Senior Vice President of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Maryam Nawaz, received a briefing on development projects in Punjab. The PML-N nominated Maryam Nawaz as their choice for the province’s chief minister.

    Zahid Akhtar Zaman, the Chief Secretary of Punjab, briefed the PML-N leader after she was nominated for the top provincial position.

    According to sources in Geo News, the provincial chief secretary went to Jatti Umrah on Thursday to brief Maryam and PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif on the current situation in Punjab.

    During a meeting, Zaman explained the ongoing projects as well as the law and order situation in the province.

    Maryam Nawaz won a National Assembly (NA) and a Provincial Assembly seat in the general elections.

    The party’s stalwart was elected by voters on PP-159 and NA-119, respectively.

  • Pakistan’s Hamza Saeed wins gold medal at Taekwondo Championship in Iran

    Pakistan’s Hamza Saeed wins gold medal at Taekwondo Championship in Iran

    Pakistan’s Hamza Saeed has won the gold medal in the 33rd Fajr Open Taekwondo Championship played in Tehran.

    Pakistan Army’s Hamza Saeed won the gold medal by defeating Iran’s Mohammad Ibrahim Hosseini 9-1 and 14-3 in the final of the 87 plus category.

    Shahzaib won the silver medal in the event and Pakistan secured the second position in the championship. Shahzaib Khan was defeated by an Iranian player in the final of 54 category.

    In the Fajr Open Taekwondo Championship, Iran won first spot, Pakistan second and Kazakhstan third. Hamza Saeed from Pakistan Army was declared the best player of Fajr Open.

    The Pakistan team will also participate in the World Taekwondo President’s Asia Cup from February 16 to 19 and the Asian Club Taekwondo Championship from February 21 to 22 in Tehran.

  • Syra Yousuf’s heartwarming Galentine’s Day celebration wins hearts

    Syra Yousuf’s heartwarming Galentine’s Day celebration wins hearts

    Pakistani actor Syra Yousuf did something special for Valentine’s Day. Instead of celebrating with a romantic partner, she celebrated with her favorite girls on ‘Galentine’s Day’. Syra shared pictures on Instagram of her Galentine’s Day celebration with her daughter, Nooreh, her niece, and her step-daughter, Zahra, posting three pictures showing how happy they were together. In the caption, she wrote, “My favorite gals, My Galentine.”

    The pictures got a lot of attention from Syra’s followers. People especially liked how Syra showed love and care for her step-daughter.

  • Fazlur Rehman claims Imran was ousted on Gen Bajwa’s directives

    Fazlur Rehman claims Imran was ousted on Gen Bajwa’s directives

    Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said on Thursday that the no confidence motion against Imran Khan’s government was tabled in the National Assembly on the directive of former army chief General (retired) Qamar Javed Bajwa.

    In an interview on SAMMA, Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that “I was personally against the no-confidence move […] but if I had said no despite the insistence of other parties, then an impression would’ve been given that I ‘saved’ the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan.”

    Fazl, during the interview, said: “While the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) was running the movement for a no-confidence motion, Lt Gen (retd) Faiz Hamid told me that I could do whatever I wanted, but within the system.”

    The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) removed Imran Khan from government in April 2022 and then a multi-party alliance ruled the country for 16 months before handing over the power to the caretaker set-up.

  • Anoushay Abbasi opens up about being bullied after losing weight

    Anoushay Abbasi opens up about being bullied after losing weight

    Anoushay Abbasi is openly talking about being bullied on her weight. The versatile actress recently lost weight and got targeted by so-called well wishers.

    “People are never happy. When I was overweight, there was an issue, and now that I’ve lost weight, there’s still criticism.”
    The actress appeared as a guest on a program hosted by actor and singer Ahmed Ali Butt.


    Ahmad asked whether she had struggled with weight. “When did you face body shaming, when you were overweight or when you lost weight?”
    Anoushay responded, “I had to face body shaming in both situations. When I was chubby in my childhood, people used to say, “You’re too heavy, you should lose some weight,” and now that I’ve lost weight, people say, “You’ve lost too much weight, please gain some back.”


    Emphasizing that she was happy in both states, Anoushey said, “People are never satisfied, and I don’t know how to please them.”

  • Petrol price increased by Rs2.73 to Rs275.62 per litre

    Petrol price increased by Rs2.73 to Rs275.62 per litre

    The government has raised the price of petrol by Rs2.73 per litre, bringing it to Rs275.62 per litre for the upcoming fortnight.

    Additionally, the cost of high-speed diesel has seen an uptick, rising by Rs8.37 per litre to reach Rs287.33 per litre, according to an official notification.

    These revised prices, recommended by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA), have come into effect as of midnight on February 16 and are slated to persist until February 29.

    The surge in petrol and high-speed diesel prices aligns with expectations following the adjustment in the exchange rate.

  • SBP’s foreign exchange reserves rise by $13 million

    SBP’s foreign exchange reserves rise by $13 million

    In a positive development for Pakistan’s economic landscape, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) reported a weekly increase of $13 million in its foreign exchange reserves, reaching a total of $8.05 billion as of February 9, according to data released on Thursday.

    The country’s overall liquid foreign reserves now stand at $13.15 billion, with commercial banks holding a significant share of $5.1 billion in net foreign reserves.

    The central bank, however, did not provide specific details or reasons for the notable upswing in reserves during the mentioned week.

    In a statement, the SBP stated, “During the week ended on February 9, 2024, the SBP’s reserves increased by US$ 13 million to US$ 8,056.5 million.”

    This positive development comes on the heels of last week’s decrease in Pakistan’s central bank reserves, which experienced a dip of $173 million.

    The recent rebound signals resilience and stability in the nation’s economic standing, and financial analysts are likely to scrutinise the factors contributing to this uptick in the coming days.

    As the global economic landscape continues to evolve, Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves play a crucial role in navigating economic challenges, and the recent increase reflects ongoing efforts to bolster the country’s fiscal strength.

    Experts anticipate that a robust foreign reserve position will provide a buffer against external shocks and instill confidence in the financial markets.

  • 24-karat gold price increases to Rs211,100 per tola

    24-karat gold price increases to Rs211,100 per tola

    In a rebound from the significant dip in the previous session influenced by higher-than-expected US inflation data, the price of 24-karat gold in the local bullion market surged by Rs300, reaching Rs211,100 per tola on Thursday.

    According to the Karachi Sarafa Association, the cost of 10-gramme 24-karat gold witnessed a notable increase, reaching Rs180,984, marking a gain of Rs257 compared to the previous session.

    Conversely, the price of 10-gramme 22-karat gold experienced a decline, falling to Rs165,902.

    Silver prices, on the other hand, remained stable today.

    The 24-karat silver was reported to be trading at Rs2,580 per tola, while the 10-gramme silver was at Rs2,211.93.

    Internationally, the spot gold market showed signs of recovery, currently being traded at $1,993.75, registering a gain of $1.45 day-on-day.

    Notably, yesterday’s shock in the consumer price index (CPI) pushed gold prices below the $2,000 mark for the first time in two months.

    The disappointing US CPI data took investors by surprise, following a recent decline in price pressures that had fueled expectations of rate cuts later this year, as reported by Bloomberg.

    The likelihood of a rate cut in May dropped to about 32 per cent, down from around 64 per cent before the release of the inflation data, with less than 90 basis points anticipated for the remainder of the year.

  • Thailand To Offer Medical Coverage For Tourists

    Thailand To Offer Medical Coverage For Tourists

    Thailand has launched a scheme to offer visitors up to $14,000 in medical coverage in the event of an accident, the tourism minister said Thursday, as the kingdom seeks to lure travelers back after the pandemic.

    The government will cover expenses up to 500,000 baht ($14,000) and pay compensation of up to one million baht in case of death under the new scheme.

    Travel restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic hammered the kingdom’s vital tourism sector and arrivals have not bounced back as quickly as officials hoped.

    Tourism minister Sudawan Wangsuphakijkosol told AFP the new Thailand Traveller Safety scheme began on January 1 and will run until August 31.

    “The campaign aims to assure foreign tourists that Thailand is safe and everyone will be under good care,” she said.

    The kingdom has long been popular with young backpackers from around the world seeking sun, sand and adrenalin.

    But accidents are not uncommon and there have been numerous reports in recent months of young Europeans finding themselves facing big medical bills with inadequate insurance.

    The Thai government stresses that the scheme will not cover accidents caused by “negligence, intent, illegal acts” or risky behaviour.

    Tourists can register for the scheme through the Thailand Traveller Safety website at tts.go.th.

    Some 28 million people visited Thailand in 2023, up from 11 million the year before, but still well down from the 40 million who came in 2019, the last year before the pandemic.

    Officials are hoping to hit 35 million visitors in 2024, with a target of $55 billion in revenue.