Inspector-General Police Punjab, Dr Usman Anwar, has directed top police officials in Punjab, including Regional Police Officers (RPOs), City Police Officers (CPOs), and District Police Officers (DPOs), to intensify efforts against anti-national and anti-social elements involved in electricity theft, which is causing a staggering annual loss of Rs600 billion to the national treasury.
In a special video message, Dr Usman Anwar emphasised that Punjab Police’s crackdown on electricity thieves has gained momentum, with over 1,000 cases registered daily, spanning the entire province, including Lahore. This financial loss surpasses the cumulative losses from 15 years of various crimes, such as dacoity and robbery, across Punjab.
According to Business Recorder, Dr Usman Anwar clarified that the scale of this theft far outweighs other criminal activities and assured that, following the directives of the Prime Minister and Chief Minister of Punjab, there will be no leniency for those involved in electricity theft. Offenders, regardless of their methods, will face legal consequences.
He expressed concern that innocent citizens must bear the financial burden of others’ theft, emphasising that no one will be allowed to rob citizens of their hard-earned money. Dr Usman Anwar urged citizens to cooperate with law enforcement, district administrations, and relevant institutions by reporting electricity theft in their areas to accelerate actions against these elements harming the nation’s financial interests.
Great news for Pakistani Bollywood fans who bemoaned missing out on the excitement surrounding the release of Karan Johar’s much-lauded romantic comedy ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani’, because there is finally a chance for them to watch the Alia Bhatt starrer on their screens. The Ranveer Singh-Alia Bhatt film is finally out on the streaming platform Amazon Prime with a special twist: it will feature a full-screen version of the song ‘Kudmayi’.
Director Karan Johar announced the release of the film on his Instagram account.
The romantic comedy stars Singh as a West Delhi playboy and Alia Bhatt as the headstrong feminist journalist, who cross paths after both realise there was a special connection between their grandparents. The film also stars veteran actors Jaya Bachchan, Dharmendra and Shabana Azmi.
The film was hailed by audience members and film critics for the strong feminist message, as well as the performances by both Ranveer and Alia, with many saying this was Karan Johar’s comeback film. The film grossed more than $23 million in India and a further $21 million overseas, making it the fourth highest-grossing Hindi film of the year.
Canadian-Indian rapper Shubhneet Singh is facing backlash from conservative politicians and social media users accusing him of being a Khalistan supporter, after the rapper’s post from March recirculated around social media. Several cricket players like Virat Kohli, Hardick Panday and KL Rahul had unfollowed the rapper on Instagram following the controversy.
Singh’s tour in India in September was cancelled, after sponsor BoAt announced they were no longer sponsoring the tour as they announced in a post on their X, formerly Twitter, account.
“At boAt, while our commitment to the incredible music community runs deep, we are first and foremost a true Indian brand. Therefore, when we became aware of the remarks made by artist Shubh earlier this year, we chose to withdraw our sponsorship from the tour.”
BookMyShow, the online ticket portal confirmed on their X account that they were refunding customers who had purchased ticket’s for Shubh’s concert in Mumbai and other cities.
Singer Shubhneet Singh’s Still Rollin Tour for India stands cancelled. To that end, BookMyShow has initiated a complete refund of the ticket amount for all consumers who had purchased tickets for the show. The refund will be reflected within 7-10 working days in the customer’s…
In light of these accusations, Indian rapper AP Dhillon released a lengthy statement on his Instagram stories where he publicly sided with the ‘We Rollin’ rapper, condemning the way artists are targeted by special interest and political groups.
“As an artist it has become almost impossible to stay focused on your craft and do what you love. I try to be mindful of everyone’s sentiments but it has gotten to a point where we have to second and triple guess our every move due to the fear of unintentionally fueling even more division.”
“Spread love, not hate,” wrote the ‘Brown Munde’ rapper. “Let’s start thinking for ourselves and not let hateful influences program our beliefs. We are ALL one. Let’s not let man made social constructs divide us. Division has gotten us to this point but unity is the key to the future.”
Shubhneet Singh addressed the backlash in a lengthy statement posted on his Instagram account and said he found the allegations “extremely disheartening.”
“My intent in resharing that post on my story was only to pray for Punjab as there were reports of electricity and internet shutdowns throughout the state. There was no other thought behind it, and I definitely didn’t intend to hurt anyone’s sentiments.”
The backlash to Shubh arrives after relations between India and Canada took a sour turn when Justin Trudeau publicly accused the Indian government for being involved in the death of the Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who had been a vocal supporter of setting up a separate state for Sikhs living in India.
“Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty,” said Trudeau.
“In the strongest possible terms, I continue to urge the government of India to cooperate with Canada to get to the bottom of this matter.”
After the Instagram post by Shubhneet went viral, the youth wing of the BJP party in India BJYMP filed an FIR against the rapper with the Mumbai Police, calling Singh a Khalistan supporter.
“Shubh is openly a Khalistani supporter,” the complaint read. “And if he is allowed to hold a concert here, he will be influencing a lot of youth in Mumbai and our country to support his agenda…He has evidently proven that he is a pro-Khalistani activist and openly supports their agenda and [he] is also influencing the youth of the country to do the same and wage a war against the Government of India by posting such absurd and derogatory post about Government of India.”
Fast bowler Shaheen Afridi’s valima to Ansha Afridi was held on Thursday in a lavish ceremony in Islamabad, where several A-list celebrities and sports stars were present to celebrate the occasion. Check out some pictures of all the big names who were at the event.
Former cricket star Shahid Afridi shared several pictures, posing along with members of the cricket team including Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Imam ul Haq, Shadab Khan, and with former pacer Shoaib Akhtar. He thanked his friends for gracing his daughter’s valima with their presence.
“I would like to Thank Team Pakistan, My former team mates, diplomats and dignitaries from different walk of life for gracing my daughter’s Valima. Their presence made me feel loved and honored. I am grateful that we got to celebrate this moment together.”
I would like to Thank Team Pakistan, My former team mates, diplomats and dignitaries from different walk of life for gracing my daughter’s Valima. Their presence made me feel loved and honoured. I am grateful that we got to celebrate this moment together. pic.twitter.com/sRPTh0A6Ta
Geo reports there the scrumptious menu featured biryani, lamb korma, chicken reshmi kebab, tandoori lamb chops and prawns.
Shaheen and Ansha’s nikah was held in February at a daytime ceremony. Shaheen shared pictures on his Instagram account, requesting fans to respect the privacy of his wife and the rest of his family members, after a picture of Ansha’s face was leaked on social media.
Actress Ushna Shah took to her Twitter account to condemn drama scripts for stigmatising divorced women- and treat the topic like a taboo. The actress reflected on her own upbringing with a divorced mother, who had worked three jobs to bring her up, and said she would like to be a part of stories that refuse to resort to toxic stereotypes:
“Many scripts I work on perpetuate shame around divorce. While I can’t reshape the conventions of scriptwriting or opt for unemployment, I stand by a vision. As the child of a divorcee who hustled with three jobs to raise us, the stigma on divorced characters feels deeply personal. I’m eager to be part of a story that addresses the stigma of divorce and combats the shame of being single after, celebrating the journey to independence and joy. Convincing producers to back such a risqué script, which may face societal backlash, is very challenging.”
Many scripts I work on perpetuate shame around divorce. While I can’t reshape the conventions of scriptwriting or opt for unemployment, I stand by a vision. As the child of a divorcee who hustled with three jobs to raise us, the stigma on divorced characters feels deeply…
Many users on Twitter shared the opinion, stating that they wanted a stop to narratives that actively discourage divorce.
There’s absolutely no shame in divorce or any stigma attached to it in Islam. Our prophet SAW himself married a divorced woman. If only we understood our religion.
After the announcement of the timeframe of elections by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), major political parties in the former ruling alliance welcomed the development, hoping that it would dispel apprehensions about the political situation of the country.
“The final list of constituencies will be published on November 30. After that, elections will be held in the last week of January 2024,” the commission said in a statement.
Reacting to the development, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) viewed it as positive development while Awami National Party (ANP) demanded a specific date. However, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) decided to challenge the move in court.
PTI
After the announcement, PTI has decided to challenge the Commission’s decision to conduct elections in the last week of January. While talking to Geo News, PTI’s core committee member Niazullah Niazi said that the Constitution calls for elections within 90 days, and exceeding the period is unlawful.
“We will challenge the Election Commission’s decision. The way the ECP is working it does not look like a constitutional institution,” Niazi said, adding that President Arif Alvi has the authority to announce a date for polls.
PMLN
Senior PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal stated that his party welcomed the decision by the ECP as it has ended uncertainty about delimitations.
“Everyone knew from the first day that the election commission was bound to conduct delimitation after the census,” he said.
“Earlier, the ECP had said to complete the delimitation process by December 15 after which the polls were estimated to be held in February next year. However, our party had given suggestions to the ECP to reduce the delimitation period. In the light of those suggestions, the ECP reduced the delimitation time till November 30 and then announced elections at the end of January after the 54-day period,” he added.
He further added, “It is important that the elections are held peacefully, and a stable government is formed that takes the country out of the economic crisis.”
PPP
PPP leader Qamar Zaman Kaira stated that he could only give his own opinion on the matter but viewed the development as “positive”. The former federal minister said that uncertainty would end and things would hopefully move in a positive direction. “Let’s hope for the best.”
ANP
Meanwhile, the Awami National Party has urged the ECP to fix an exact date for the election.
Senior ANP leader Zahid Khan said that his part has demanded that elections be held in 90 days and the party raised the same issue when they met Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja.
MQM
MQM-P leader Mustafa Kamal told Geo news that they are satisfied with the development.
However, he said it is yet to be seen whether the ECP would address the party’s concerns regarding the demarcation of constituencies after publishing an initial list of delimitation.
The former Karachi mayor said his party would file a complaint if they found any problem with the delimitation process.
The top anti-corruption watchdog, National Accountability Bureau (NAB), has decided to appoint intelligence agency officers to investigate high-profile corruption cases after Supreme Court’s decision of reopening graft references worth billions of rupees, Geo has reported.
A letter has been written to the institutions, and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Lt Gen (retd) Nazir Ahmed Butt has also approved that letter, sources have confirmed.
According to the report, anti-corruption officials have also said that the officers of sensitive institutions will be appointed to key positions and will start working in a few days.
The insiders also stated that vacant seats in NAB will be filled soon.
A deputy chairman of the national anti-graft body and prosecutor general will also be appointed soon on a permanent basis, they added.
The officers of sensitive institutions will perform duties in the NAB offices, as this way a strong and efficient intelligence system can be established in the institutions.
NADRA centres are to introduce various new facilities including renewal of national identity cards at post offices without waiting in queues.
Counters have been set up in 10 General Post Offices (GPOs) in Karachi to provide facilities for national identity cards where devices are connected to the NADRA system.
Post office counters have facilities for renewal of identity cards, change of marital status, while the facility of issuing replacements for lost identity cards will also be available at the counters.
This means that ID cards can be renewed from the post office up to one year after expiry, while home address, signature and photograph can also be changed.
However, biometric facility of blood relation is not available at post offices. Renewal of form is mandatory from a 16th grade officer while FRC and (b) form issuance facilities are not available.
NADRA has agreed to set up counters at the Pakistan Post Office for 10 years.
Pir Fayyaz Shah, one of the suspects in the Fatima murder case, has been re-arrested today.
The prosecution legal team has claimed that Fayyaz Shah has been arrested for two other pending cases filed against him after Fatima’s murder FIR was filed — one issue pertaining to a jirga and the other for harbouring criminals.
A bench of the high court had granted Fayyaz Shah a six-day bail, ordering the police not to detain him in connection with the murder case of the child maid Fatima at the Ranipur Haveli.
Following his arrest, Shah was relocated to an undisclosed location.
Pir Fayyaz Shah is Asad Shah’s father-in-law, the owner of the mansion where Fatima died, and the father of the other suspect, Hina Shah. He has persistently claimed that Fatima died due to illness and the family had no involvement in the case. He claims that they are being targeted for political persecution.
Earlier, Sindh High Court Hyderabad bench granted security bail of Rs50,000, while the decision on the bail of Hina Shah will be pronounced on September 26.
Similarly, five-day physical remand of Asad Shah and Imtiaz Merasi were approved.
Asad Shah and medical dispenser Imtiaz Merasi, accused in the Fatima murder case, were produced in the Anti-Terrorism Court.
A 15-day physical remand was requested by the police, but the court granted a five-day physical remand and handed them over to CTD Sukkur.
The accused were shifted to Sukkur CTD under tight security.
Additionally, since the past one month, nothing, including the pin code of the mobile phone, could be recovered from the accused, Pir Shah.
Fatima’s parents had expressed doubts over the performance of Khairpur police, on which IG Sindh handed over the accused to CTD’s DSP Abdul Qadoos.
Caretaker Provincial Minister and IG Sindh visit Fatima’s house
Caretaker Interior Minister Brigadier (retd) Haris Nawaz and IG Sindh visited village Khan Wahan of District Naushahro Feroze where they condoled with the father of deceased Fatima Phuriro.
Nawaz said that he will ensure justice in Fatima’s case, giving instructions to the inquiry officer to complete the inquiry soon.
The owner of Peshawar’s famous Charsi Tikka restaurant, Nisar Khan, has been arrested by the Shah Gabool Police after videos emerged on social media of him misbehaving with foreign tourists.
According to ARY, police arrested Nisar after receiving several complaints from foreign tourists, particularly foreign women. A case was lodged against him under the complaint of SI Naeem.
The police told ARY that Namak Mandi Food Street has attracted foreign tourists and local travellers, while Charsi Tikka is a well known restaurant.
