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  • Grave of legendary Ghazal singer Mehdi Hassan in ruins

    Grave of legendary Ghazal singer Mehdi Hassan in ruins

    Legendary singer Mehdi Hassan’s grave is in bad condition. He is buried in Karachi.

    Twitter user Bilal Gilani posted a video with the latest condition of his grave.

    “This is apparently grave of Mehdi Hassan, the greatest ghazal singer of our times, recipient of hundreds of intl awards and if nothing else singer of dosens of Milli naghmas He deserves better treatment.”

    He also requested Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry and Administrator Karachi Murtaza Wahab to do something about the condition of the grave.

    Salman Sufi in a tweet said that the video is ‘disturbing’ and has said that the Salman Sufi Foundation will renovate the gravesite. Talking exclusively to The Current, Sufi said, “The main structure has been badly damaged.” He added that even the headstone has a verse that is written wrong and the area has litter all around.

    Talking about the renovation Sufi said, “We are going to renovate the entire columns and get proper calligraphy work done.”

    Mehdi Hassan passed away in 2012. He was born in July 1927. His career spanned 50 years.  Some of his most famous songs and ghazals include, “Mujhay Tum Nazar Say”, “Jaag Utha Insaan”, “Gulon May Rang Bharay” among many other countless hits.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Which senior army official was photoshopped from Bill Gates meeting picture?

    EXCLUSIVE: Which senior army official was photoshopped from Bill Gates meeting picture?

    Yesterday, a picture was released by the Prime Minister’s Office of a luncheon hosted by PM Imran Khan in honour of Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, and co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF). Gates was on a one-day visit to Pakistan yesterday, which was also his first-ever visit to the country.

    The picture in which PM Khan and Bill Gates are sitting with Fawad Chaudhry, Asad Umar, Mahmood Khan, Azam Khan, Shaukat Tarin, Shah Farman, Khalid Khurshid and several others at the main table sparked a debate on Twitter for a missing link. If one looks at the picture closely, someone between Dr Faisal Sultan and Mahmood Khan seems to be ‘missing’.

    https://twitter.com/IssamAhmed/status/1494452757415309316

    Twitter users wondered who had been photoshopped out of the picture while some Twitter users tried to guess the name of the person.

    Journalist Cyril Almeida tweeted: “A day later, the mystery of who was photoshopped out of this pic continues… but if rumour is to be believed…”

    https://twitter.com/cyalm/status/1494569851595206678
    Who was photoshopped?

    The Current reached out to its sources and confirmed that it was the Director-General (DG) of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lieutenant General Nadeem Anjum who had been photoshopped from the luncheon meeting picture.

    Ansar Abbasi had reported for The News in December 2021 that the new DG ISI has asked all authorities concerned not to release to the media his picture or video footage made during an official meeting. As per The Current’s sources, it was due to this policy that he had to be taken out of the official picture released by the PM Office yesterday.

    It’s a standing instruction for all concerned from the incumbent DG ISI not to release any of his pictures or video footage of any official meeting that he attends.

    Read More: New spy chief says no to the media

    Lt Gen Nadeem Ahmed Anjum was appointed as new DG ISI in October 2021. The post was previously held by Lt Gen Faiz Hameed who is now Corps Commander Peshawar.

  • Samaa TV producer killed in Karachi robbery

    Samaa TV producer killed in Karachi robbery

    Samaa TV’s producer was killed during a robbery. The incident took place when the TV producer was on its way and came across two men robbing a citizen at gunpoint. To prevent the mugging, he banged his car into the suspects’ motorcycle.

    In retaliation, the men opened fire on the victim’s car and then fled from the crime scene, after robbing another man. 

    Athar Mateen, senior producer at Samaa received gunshot wounds to his head and chest, was rushed to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital where he breathed his last.

    Police said that 9mm pistol was used in the attack and a shell was recovered from the site.

    The locality is popular for muggings and robberies, special early morning and late at night.

  • Pakistan rescues woman in love gone wrong, saves wife left in Indian jail by husband

    Pakistan rescues woman in love gone wrong, saves wife left in Indian jail by husband

    Pakistan has issued a nationality certificate, which will lead to becoming a citizen of Pakistan, to a stateless woman, Sumaira who has been stranded in India for four years. It was issued after verification by National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and her family. Pakistan Interior Minister has sent her nationality certificate to Foreign Ministry.

    Pakistan High Commission in India, New Delhi will issue travel documents and she will be able to come to Pakistan with her daughter who is four-years-old.

    According to her lawyer, Sohana Biswapatna, Sumaira was born in Qatar to Pakistani parents who moved from Karachi for employment. She married an Indian Muslim for love in Qatar without the consent of her parents. She illegally moved to India with her husband in 2016.

    Sumaira and her husband were arrested in 2017. However, her husband, who faced the charges of facilitating a foreign intruder, was released on bail after a few months. She remained in jail.

    She gave birth to a daughter in prison.

    The message she sent through her lawyer to BBC, “I have been punished by law for the mistake I made, but my sorrows and pains are not diminishing. The family had already separated, but now the husband in India has also turned away. At the moment, my only recourse is my country, Pakistan.”

    According to Sumaira, she wanted to confess her crime but her husband stopped her from giving a statement. The husband thought that India would deport her if she confessed. He was trying to find a way to release her from jail and settle her in India.

    Her case was stalled in India for three years as she did not confess to her crime.

    Her husband stopped visiting her and attending her calls without any explanation around after two to three years. After losing hope of reunion, she confessed to her crime.

    She was sentenced to a three year imprisonment, which she has already completed.

    Currently, she is living in a state shelter in Bengaluru, Karnataka, a state of India.

  • Journalist vs PTI’s Murad Saeed: Govt plans to go after judge for declaring FIA raid on Mohsin Baig’s house illegal

    Journalist vs PTI’s Murad Saeed: Govt plans to go after judge for declaring FIA raid on Mohsin Baig’s house illegal

    The government has decided to file a reference against Islamabad’s Additional Session Judge Zafar Iqbal for declaring the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) raid illegal at senior journalist Mohsin Baig’s home.

     Advocate General (AG) Islamabad Niazullah Niazi met Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan and briefed him about the case hearing.

    Niazullah Niazi said that a reference would be filed against the judge soon. He said that Mohsin Baig had pointed a gun at FIA and police officials besides threatening the on-duty officers. “Being a media person does not allow anyone to take the law into their own hands.”

    AG Islamabad further stated that Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that no one is above the law.

    “Everyone is equal before the law. Constructive criticism is beneficial for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government,” said PM Khan.

    Speaking on Geo News Programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’, AG Islamabad Niazullah Niazi said, “We will approach Chief Justice Islamabad High Court (IHC) regarding the session court judge’s verdict.”

    Anchorperson Shahzeb Khanzada questioned Advocate General Niazi if all this is really about the rule of law or is it what the government wants.

    Niazi responded: “We all know how much the prime minister has worked for the rule of law. If a proceeding is happening against someone, and the law is there in the constitution, why would someone want that the proceeding to stop?”

    Khanzada interjected and asked: “You say that the prime minister has done a lot for rule of law. The premier always reiterates that nations are destroyed where there is one law for the strong and another for the weak. A federal minister files a complaint at 9am in Lahore and at 9:30am, a raid takes place in Islamabad. Several cases are pending but prompt action was taken in this case. A judge who declared the raid illegal face references. Is this what rule of law is?”

    “No illegal action will be taken against any judge,” responded Niazullah Niazi.

    “You are pressuring the judiciary in this manner, the judge who gives verdict against you, you are taking action against them in return,” added Khanzada.

     Niazi further stated that the reference against the session judge will not jeopardise the independence of the judiciary.

    Neither the prime minister nor the lawyer accepts any kind of pressure on the judiciary, but no one should be above the law, he said.

    Khanzada further said, “Is this really rule of law or fascism?”

    The FIA cybercrime wing and the police arrested Daily Jinnah and Online news agency Editor Mohsin Jamil Baig on Wednesday. FIA raided the journalist’s house in the federal capital along with the police and took him into custody.

    Baig was accused of initiating a debate on a television show with some controversial references towards PM Imran Khan and Minister for Communication Murad Saeed.

  • Religious Affairs Minister criticises Aurat march without reading manifesto

    Religious Affairs Minister criticises Aurat march without reading manifesto

    Federal Minister for Religious and Minority Affairs Noorul Haq Qadri who has written a letter to Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan asking him to put a ban on the Aurat March, appeared on Geo News’s programme Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath on Thursday night.

    During the show, Qadri said he does not have a problem with the Manifesto of Aurat March but has a problem with the way marchers express themselves by taking to the streets.

    To which the anchorperson asked him why he doesn’t criticise when other political parties, including PTI, when they take to street protests. Qadri replied saying that he raises his voice regardless of whomever is protesting but had a different response when asked about Tehrik-e-Labbaik’s violent protests.

    Khanzada asked while quoting Qadri: “You said that you do not want to make [Pakistan] a violent religious country, but when one organisation did processions,” and the organisation passed highly provocative remarks against the judiciary, the army chief and the prime minister, did hate speech, they even beat the police officer, you said that they have the right to protest. That organization is Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), you spoke in their favour. Here [Aurat March], women are protesting and we don’t see any examples that reflect what you are against but still, you are against them.”

    Qadri said that a few pictures from last year’s march were photoshopped and a few slogans were doctored but a few of them are genuine and are highly condemnable. However, he refused to mention the slogans, saying that he does want to repeat them.

    Qadri further added that he is not against the protest but he is against the way of the protest, as it’s against our cultural and religious values. He continued by saying that he is against “vulgar slogans”, based on ‘fabricated issues’ of women.

    Social media users are praising Shahzeb Khanzada for raising, ‘valid points’:

    https://twitter.com/Ranting_Expert/status/1494397933395062785

    Qadri, in his letter to the premier, wrote that March 8 should be observed as “International Hijab Day” rather than Aurat March.

  • Wahab Riaz, Shoaib Malik, Haris celebrate after winning hat-trick in PSL

    Wahab Riaz, Shoaib Malik, Haris celebrate after winning hat-trick in PSL

    In the 24th match of Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2022, Peshawar Zalmi defeated Islamabad United by 10 runs. This was the third consecutive win for Wahab Riaz’s team. In this match, wicket-keeper-batter Mohammad Haris of Zalmi also scored a half-century in 18 balls.

    Haris smashed Islamabad’s bowling attack with a knock of 70 off 32 balls. In this exceptional innings, he completed his half-century in 18 balls, which is the joint-third fastest 50 in PSL history. After this, Yasir Khan (35) and Shoaib Malik (38) also made important contributions, taking Peshawar’s score to 200. Peshawar set a decent target of 207 runs for Islamabad to chase.

    Islamabad had a magnificent start by reaching 50 in the fourth over but opener batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz (46 off 19) got hitched by Salman Irshad. Then United wicketkeeper Azam Khan took the lead, who played an innings of 85 runs in 45 balls. But apart from him, no other batsman could do anything special. After holding the innings till the end, Azam Khan became the victim of Wahab Riaz on the first ball of the 19th over.

    From here the match changed and Zalmi’s return was made by Wahab, who took Azam’s wicket. Islamabad’s team scored 196 runs in 20 overs for the loss of 7 wickets and fell 10 runs behind the target. Fast bowler Salman Irshad took three and Riaz took two wickets. Talat and Cutting also got one wicket each.

    In this match, Wahab took his 100th wicket and became the first PSL bowler to reach the milestone.

    Taking to Twitter, he wrote: “Alhamdulilah for our 3rd consecutive win!”

    Praising Haris, he added: “Really happy with our brand of cricket and especially @iamharis63 has made a lot of difference with his batting.”

    He further added that he is looking forward to reach the play offs as well.

    Shoaib Malik also took to Twitter to congratulate Wahab and Haris.

    “Congratulations @PeshawarZalmi, truly a team effort today, great knock by youngster #Haris. Congratulations @WahabViki on your wickets century, keep going strong guys,” he wrote.

    Haris also took to his Twitter and wrote: “Hat-trick of wins for us. Alhamdulilah for another player of the match award.”

    Haris bagged Player of the Match award and its his second award in the three matches he played in PSL 7.

  • ‘Pride of Pak’, Iqrar-ul-Hassan’s son writes note for injured father

    ‘Pride of Pak’, Iqrar-ul-Hassan’s son writes note for injured father

    Television host and Journalist Syed Iqrar-ul-Hassan’s son Pehlaaj Hassan took to his Instagram to write a short note for his father who was recently attacked.

    “The pride of Pakistan, I can proudly say that Mere baba is now on the road to recovery and inshallah will be back on the road soon, Thank you for all your support aur ap sab Dua karte rahe. Pakistan Zindabad,” he wrote in his Instagram post while sharing his father’s picture.

    Pictures of Hassan in bloodied, torn-up clothes, receiving medical treatment on a hospital bed started making rounds on social media on Feburary 14. Later, journalist Waseem Badami shared pictures and videos of him visiting Hassan at the hospital.

    Talking about the incident, Iqrar said that he and his team members were “stripped naked, blindfolded and tortured for exposing the corruption of an IB inspector”. He alleged that IB officials also shot videos of him after stripping him and his team members naked.

  • ‘Ghaari ki bajaye ghorro pe safar’: Arslan Naseer, Noor Bukhari take a jibe at PM Khan over petrol prices

    ‘Ghaari ki bajaye ghorro pe safar’: Arslan Naseer, Noor Bukhari take a jibe at PM Khan over petrol prices

    The ruling government has increased the price of petrol by Rs12.03/litre, diesel Rs9.53/litre, kerosene Rs10.08/litre and light diesel oil (LDO) by 9.43/litre. The new rates will be effective from today (February 16) and will be revised at the end of the month.

    As per the press release issued by the Government of Pakistan’s Finance Division, the prime minister has considered the recommendation to increase the prices of petroleum products in line with changes in the international oil prices.

    The previous price of petrol was Rs147.83 per litre.

    Actress Noor Bukhari took to her Instagram stories to take a dig on the government due to the increased prices of petrol in the country. She jokingly said that we should start investing on cartwheels.

    The Chupke Chupke star Arslan Naseer also commented on the same.

    Earlier Arsalan took a jibe at PM Imran Khan’s government for his taxation policies especially in regards to Iphone 13.

    He took to his twitter handle to share his stance on the matter.

    Want to buy the new iPhone? Think again because the new Pakistan tax is shocking

    A government source has informed The Current that phones from abroad are now being subjected to 17% sales tax instead of a fixed sales tax. The total tax will also include customs tax.

    Earlier, the fixed sales tax on the iPhone13 Pro max was Rs. 10,000 but if you now calculate a 17 per cent tax on 305068.94 PKR in our case, the tax will be 51,861.7198. The customs tax is Rs 34,000 on the iPhone.

    If you now want to buy an iPhone 13 Pro max in Pakistan, the total tax will be 51,861.7198+34,000=85,861.17 for the high end iPhone.

    If you have a passport on which you came back with the phone, it will cost you a little less, 51,861.7198+26,000=77,861.7198.

    Government sources while talking to The Current said, “If a person can afford a phone worth almost 300k, then he can pay 78k too. These phones have inelastic demands.”

    “Most smartphones sold in Pakistan (more than 80%) and mid category (between $150-200). 70% of these are now made in Pakistan and have very little tax on them. The ones in the range that are imported have a tax of around Rs 5-8k on them,” the source added.

  • Kuwait allows women in Army combat roles after permission from male guardian

    Kuwait allows women in Army combat roles after permission from male guardian

    Kuwait has allowed women in Army combat roles. However, they will need permission from a male guardian. Women are also banned from carrying weapons which sparked controversy among Kuwaiti women.

    Activists have dubbed its policy as “one step forward, two steps back” after Defence Ministry announced women have to wear headscarves in the armed forces.

    Ghadeer al-Khashti, a sports teacher and member of Kuwait Football Association’s women committee, “I don’t know why there are these restrictions to join the army. We have all kinds of women working in all fields, including the police force.”

    She also revealed that her mother also took part in the resistance force when the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990.

    She further added, “My mum during the Iraqi invasion used to hide weapons under her abaya and transport them to members of Kuwait’s resistance, and my father encouraged it. I don’t understand on what basis they see women as weak.”

    In October 2021, Kuwait Defence Ministry decided to allow women in combat roles. However, it was questioned by orthodox lawmaker Hamdan al-Azmi. Later, the ministry imposed some restrictions.

    The lawmaker had criticised women’s roles in combat by saying, “does not fit with a woman’s nature.”

    Head of the Kuwaiti Women’s Cultural and Social Society, Lulwa Saleh al-Mulla also condemned the discriminatory law.

    She said, “We are a Muslim country, that is true, but we demand the laws not be subject to fatwas. Personal freedom is guaranteed in the constitution, on which the country’s laws are based.”

    Women were given the right to vote in 2005 in Kuwait.