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  • ‘KU bombing planned by BLF and BLA, neighbouring country had a role’: Sharjeel Memon

    ‘KU bombing planned by BLF and BLA, neighbouring country had a role’: Sharjeel Memon

    Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon on Tuesday (July 5) said that the Karachi University (KU) suicide bombing on April 26 was a joint plan by the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF).

    On Monday, a 13-member Chinese delegation, led by a Chinese counterterrorism official, called on Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Murad Ali Shah and discussed with him security measures for Chinese nationals working in Sindh and the progress of the probe into the KU attack.

    An intelligence team of the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) revealed in the meeting that an “important accused” had been arrested.

    Addressing a press conference today, Memon said that the suspect, a terrorist, had revealed that the KU attack was the joint work of the BLF and the BLA.

    “During the investigation process, the suspect made important revelations. He said that he was the commander of a BLF sleeper cell in Karachi.”

    Memon further said that the suspect met the husband of the female suicide bomber (Shari Baloch), Dr Haibastan Bashir, and another “important terrorist” named “Zeb” in Karachi, and helped to carry out the KU attack.

    The minister further added that the suspect revealed that “Zeb was the KU attack mastermind”, who entered Pakistan from a “neighbouring country” and had been staying in Karachi with Shari Baloch and her husband.

    Shari Baloch, a 30-year-old woman, committed a suicide bombing near the Confucius Institute of Karachi University on April 26. In the suicide attack, she targeted four people, including Chinese nationals and a van driver.

    She was an educated woman who belonged from Kech, Balochistan. She had been with Balochistan Students Organisation-Azad (BSO Azad) since college. She later joined the separatist movement of the Majeed Brigade of the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA). She completed her master’s degree in education from Allama Iqbal Open University in 2014.

  • The Minor’s father files new petition in Sindh High Court for recovery of his daughter

    The Minor’s father files new petition in Sindh High Court for recovery of his daughter

    Minor Girl father Mehdi Kazmi has filed a new case in the Sindh High Court for the recovery of his daughter. He has alleged that Zaheer Ahmed had kidnapped his daughter.

    The petition submitted by The Minor’s father stated that his daughter was 13 years, 11 months, and 19 days old when she was kidnapped by Zaheer Ahmed.

    It also stated that all NADRA documents, educational certificates, passports, and birth certificates are available as evidence.

    The petition asserts that her marriage with Zaheer is a violation of the 2016 Punjab Restoration Marriage Act. According to a new report by a six-member medical board, which established the adolescent’s age to be between 15 and 16. The petition sought The Minor’s recovery.

    Previously, The Minor’s age had been established by a medical board to be between 16 and 17, but the findings of the board had been challenged on a technicality.

  • Meta, PTA launch educational series ‘Chai Chats’ to promote digital literacy

    Meta, PTA launch educational series ‘Chai Chats’ to promote digital literacy

    In order to raise awareness of digital literacy and social cohesion among young Facebook users in Pakistan, Meta has created the educational series “Chai Chats” in partnership with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).

    According to DAWN, the series follows a close-knit group of college friends who face challenging online situations and overcome them with grace, friendship, and humour. Its goal is to encourage and persuade young people to adopt positive and responsible online behaviour.

    Through the web series and local community training, the programme hopes to reach millions of young Pakistanis online as well as 180 secondary school teachers and more than 1,000 secondary school students. It will also train educators in at-risk communities to address these issues with at-risk communities.

    The focus of the webisode series “Chai Chats” focuses on the daily online activities of five university buddies and how they support one another in navigating their online and offline lives while also taking into account their varied socio-cultural and behavioural tendencies.

    By connecting with the young audiences, the characters and their story should function as positive role models.

    Chairman PTA Maj. Gen (R) Amir Azeem Bajwa praised Meta’s efforts in a statement about the programme. “This effort will improve Pakistani youth’s capacity to utilise social media platforms in a beneficial, productive, and legal manner for both individual and group well-being.

    Through better digital experiences, Meta has been at the forefront of fostering digital literacy.

    The government of Pakistan is dedicated to using digital technology to hasten socio-economic development across the country, and I believe that this initiative will prove to be a significant first step in that direction, he continued.

    “The programme furthers Meta’s long-term commitment to developing digital literacy in Pakistan and assisting all users to harness the benefits of technology innovation for their growth and socioeconomic success,” stated Ruici Tio, Policy Program Manager, APAC- Meta.

    Its objective, according to him, was to improve the digital and critical thinking abilities of over 1,000 children and 180 teachers in these areas.

  • ‘Blackest day in the history of Pakistan’: Bilawal Bhutto on Ziaul Haq’s coup 45 years ago

    ‘Blackest day in the history of Pakistan’: Bilawal Bhutto on Ziaul Haq’s coup 45 years ago

    Foreign Minister (FM) and Chairperson Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari termed July 5, 1977 as “the blackest day in the history of Pakistan”. He reiterated PPP’s commitment to democracy.

    On July 5, 1977, military dictator General Ziaul Haq ousted an elected government of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto through a military coup.

    Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was the founder of the PPP and the ninth prime minister of Pakistan.

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry also tweeted about July 5 and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

    “Today is July 5 when Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was overthrown. Today’s political suffocation and situation is close to what it was back in July 5, 1977.” He added that the only difference is that the “PPP is a main player in today’s fascism’”

    Federal Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman called July 5 a dark day in Pakistan’s history.

  • CM Hamza announces free electricity for households consuming up to 100 units

    CM Hamza announces free electricity for households consuming up to 100 units

    Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Hamza Shehbaz announced on Monday the provincial government would bear the power cost of households consuming up to 100 units of electricity in a month.

    “I was told not to take big decisions without the cabinet’s consent to steer the backward class out of difficult economic conditions. I was told that it could become a NAB case, but I said that I am ready to face any difficulty to give relief to people,” said Hamza Shehbaz.

    The CM conveyed that the provincial government would pay the full bill of consumers using up to 100 units of electricity per month under the Punjab Chief Minister’s Roshan Gharana Programme. The consumers using up to 100 units of electricity in each of the past six months will be able to avail the facility, the CM said and emphasised that the programme would benefit almost half of the population of the province.

    “This will act as an incentive for those who use more than 100 units of electricity to save energy,” Hamza hoped.

    Hamza said that there are 4.4 million families using 100 units in Punjab, i.e. 55 million people in the province use less than 100 units per month.

    “The economic situation will be back on track,” he promised. He vowed that “the genie of inflation will be put back into the bottle and the dying economy will be revived with the grace of Allah Almighty and help of masses”.

  • Lindsay Lohan marries Dubai based millionaire Bader Shammas

    Lindsay Lohan marries Dubai based millionaire Bader Shammas

    Hollywood star Lindsay Lohan secretly tied the knot with Bader Shammas, a Dubai-based financier. She confirmed the same in an Instagram post on July 1. The couple previously got engaged in November last year and in her new birthday post, Lindsay referred to Bader as her “husband.” 

    Lohan shared a sweet picture of her and Shammas and called herself the “luckiest woman in the world” on her birthday. Sharing the snap, in the captions, the Mean Girls star wrote, “I am the luckiest woman in the world. You found me and knew that I wanted to find happiness and grace, all at the same time. I am stunned that you are my husband. My life and my everything. every woman should feel like this everyday.” 

    It was also confirmed by Lohan’s spokesperson to Entertainment Tonight that the actress indeed got married. Following their engagement in November, Lindsay had dropped a series of photos of the two and also showcased her engagement ring while making the happy announcement. She wrote, “My love. My life. My family. My future” as she tagged him in the post. 

    Bader got his Mechanical Engineering degree in 2010 from the University of South Florida and later graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Finance degree from John H. Sykes College of Business. He is currently based in Dubai and is an assistant vice president at Credit Suisse. He previously worked as a associate at BNP Paribas Wealth Management.

    The duo began dating in February 2020 and have been going strong ever since. The details of their wedding haven’t been revealed yet by Lohan. The actress is also set to make an acting comeback soon and will be seen in a Netflix film. She will be next seen in a holiday rom-com soon. 

  • Indian plane makes emergency landing at Karachi airport

    Indian plane makes emergency landing at Karachi airport

    A private Indian plane made an emergency landing at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi on Tuesday due to some technical fault. The flight was going from India to Dubai.

    “On July 5, 2022, SpiceJet B737 aircraft operating flight SG-11 (Delhi – Dubai) was diverted to Karachi due to an indicator light malfunctioning. The aircraft landed safely at Karachi and passengers were safely disembarked,” said a statement from a spokesperson of the Indian airline.

    “No emergency was declared and the aircraft made a normal landing. There was no earlier report of any malfunction with the aircraft. Passengers have been served refreshments. A replacement aircraft is being sent to Karachi that will take the passengers to Dubai,” it added.

    Over 100 people were aboard the Boeing 737 when it made its emergency landing at the Jinnah International Airport, but they were not permitted to offload.

  • Sindh police on high alert to avoid thefts

    Sindh police on high alert to avoid thefts

    In order to avoid thefts, purse snatchings, and other street crimes ahead of Eid-ul-Azha, Sindh Inspector General Gulam Nabi Memon has placed the police of every precinct on the routes leading to Super Highway Cattle Market on high alert.

    The decision was made knowing that sellers and buyers of sacrificial animals both carry large sums of cash in their pockets, making them targets for thieves.

    In this regard, the chief of Sindh’s police presided over a conference to go over in detail the security measures related to Eid-ul-Azha.

    Memon stated that it is important to ensure the execution of security measures and other choices pertaining to the contingency plan for Eid-ul-Azha.

    He gave the order that police officers assigned to district-level security duty receive a thorough briefing.

    According to him, security at imam bargahs, mosques, animal sacrifice sites, and the main thoroughfares of the cattle market and surrounding regions should be made extremely strong and extraordinary.

    The IG stated that it is important to guarantee that the code of conduct on animal sacrifice is followed, and that in doing so, registered organisations, animal welfare organisations, and other stakeholders should be given the benefit of the doubt.

    A further directive from the IG Sindh was to maintain passenger safety on all Sindhi highways and to improve communication between the police in all districts and the relevant highway and motorway authorities.

    Officials were instructed to coordinate police picketing and patrols on highways, roads, and other designated locations while conducting checking and surveillance on Sindh’s inbound and departure routes as well as video recording.

  • ‘The most handsome police wala,’ Twitter drools over Shaheen Shah Afridi in police uniform

    ‘The most handsome police wala,’ Twitter drools over Shaheen Shah Afridi in police uniform

    The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa police named renowned fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi their “Goodwill Ambassador” on Monday. Afridi was awarded the honorary rank of deputy superintendent of police (DSP) at a simple ceremony held in Peshawar.

    Shaheen Shah Afridi’s pictures and videos in uniform have gone viral on social media. Some Twitter users are drooling over him while others are busy making memes. Have a look at some Twitter reactions:

  • MQM’s Babar Ghauri arrested in Karachi after ending seven-year self-exile

    MQM’s Babar Ghauri arrested in Karachi after ending seven-year self-exile

    Babar Ghauri, former federal minister and senior leader of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), was arrested at the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi on Monday after he returned to Pakistan from the United States (US) after ending his seven-year self-exile.

    In a video shared on social media, Ghauri can be seen being taken into custody by the Karachi police.

    Last month, the Sindh High Court (SHC) granted Babar Ghauri a two-week protective bail in a corruption reference and a money-laundering and terror-financing case. After the SHC orders, Ghauri announced his return without giving details of when he planned to return to Pakistan.

    Ghauri had been booked by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in 2017 in a money-laundering and terror-financing case.