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  • Hasan Raheem’s viral Shalima videos light up social media

    Hasan Raheem’s viral Shalima videos light up social media

    Singer Hassan Rahim’s beautiful videos of Shalima, a mix of a baraat and wedding reception went viral on social media.

    In the videos, Hasan Raheem can be seen wearing a Gilgit cap with black pants and a coat, while his bride stunned in a traditional red dress. Other clips showed the singer dancing to a traditional Gilgit-Baltistan performance, adding to the charm of the event.

    The singer has not officially shared the videos or pictures of the Shalima, but several clips and images were posted by his fan pages and friends. However, he did share his nikkah picture with the caption: “Teri chaiye ni raaye | Real hai.”

    Fans flooded social media with warm wishes and heartfelt messages. One user wrote, “He has seen a lot of gorgeous and glamorous ladies out there who would marry him! But he definitely preferred character, respect, simplicity, and loyalty, things those girls won’t offer. A big message to the ladies out there who would cry at Hasan Raheem, that he has chosen the pure heart over glitter!” ❤❤

    Another commented, “MashaALLAH, congratulations ” while one fan added, “Congratulations!! You kinda captured my whole feed. Loved your dances stay blessed ”

    One admirer praised how the couple proudly represented their culture, adding that Hasan Raheem and his bride showed the world that beauty also lies in traditions outside of Punjabi culture. They also highlighted how Noor was completely herself and deeply loved, saying that “every woman deserves that.”

    Hasan Raheem’s wedding also turned into a star-studded celebration, with Momina Mustehsan, Ahmed Ali Akbar, and Ameer Gilani among the guests.

    Earlier this week, wedding snippets began circulating online, but many users doubted their authenticity. Social media users suggested that the singer might be “creating drama about his wedding” again, since he had joked about marriage before.

    In the past, Hasan Raheem had shared a still from one of his songs, calling it his “wedding picture” and even asking the media “not to post it.” He later clarified that it was not his real wedding but simply a promotional shot from the video.

    Because of this history, many assumed he was joking again. However, when pictures of well-known personalities attending the ceremony surfaced, fans were certain that Hasan Raheem had indeed gotten married.

  • Mohsin Naqvi to give Rs1 million each to national hockey players

    Mohsin Naqvi to give Rs1 million each to national hockey players

    Federal Interior Minister and PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has announced a cash reward of Rs1 million for each player of the Pakistan national hockey team.

    The announcement came after Naqvi met with national hockey team captain Imad Shakeel Butt who congratulated the minister on receiving the Nishan-e-Imtiaz and briefed him about the challenges in hockey, including participation in the Pro Hockey League.

    The two also discussed issues related to player welfare and rehabilitation.

    Naqvi said that the PCB’s professional medical team will handle the medical and fitness cases of hockey players. “We will also resolve the visa issues of hockey players, and our logistics team will facilitate them in this regard,” he stated.

    The minister praised the team for qualifying for the Pro Hockey League, calling it a matter of pride. “I will play my full part in ensuring the national team’s participation in the Pro Hockey League,” Naqvi assured.

    He further pledged full support for the revival of hockey in Pakistan and reiterated his commitment to assist players at every step.

    It merits mention that last month, the FIH formally invited Pakistan to feature in the Pro League after New Zealand, despite winning the Nations Cup, pulled out of the competition.

  • ‘Who are Humaira Asghar, Noor Muqaddam’: Marina Khan criticized for ignorant remarks

    ‘Who are Humaira Asghar, Noor Muqaddam’: Marina Khan criticized for ignorant remarks

    Senior actress Marina Khan faced strong criticism from social media users for her apparent ignorance during the TV program Kya Drama Hai.


    During the show, where actors were asked to share their views on dramas and real-life events, senior actress Atiqa Odho mentioned Humaira Asghar as an example. In response, Marina Khan casually asked: “Who is Humaira Asghar?”


    The panel was initially discussing a scene from the drama Main Manto Nahi Hoon where a university student named Ifrah lives alone after leaving her family. She rents an apartment, has very little contact with her family, maybe once or twice a year, and then suddenly disappears. Nobody knows if she is alive or dead. The panel compared this storyline to the real-life case of Humaira Asghar.


    At this point, Marina Khan asked again: “Who is Humaira Asghar,” to which Atiqa Odho explained that Humaira Asghar was the actress whose body was discovered in a flat in Defence Phase 6 several months after her death. 

    Nadia Khan also remarked that the similarity was “strange” but clarified that the drama being referenced was written long before Humaira Asghar’s case came to light.


    Atiqa then shifted the conversation to a character played by Azaan Sami Khan in another drama and asked for opinions on his role. Nadia compared the role to the Noor Muqaddam case. At this point, Marina Khan once again asked: “Who is Noor Muqaddam?”


    As soon as the clip went viral, social media users harshly criticized Marina Khan. Many labeled her “insensitive” and “reckless,” while one user sarcastically commented that she should get herself checked for dementia.


    Earlier, on July 8, actress Humaira Asghar’s body was found in a flat in the Ittehad Commercial Area, Defence. The discovery was made after a bailiff arrived to recover rent during court proceedings. Her body was found in the final stage of decomposition, and doctors stated that she had died about 8 to 10 months earlier.


    As for  Noor Muqaddam, the 27-year-old was brutally murdered in July 2021 at a private residence in Islamabad’s Sector F-7/4. The prime suspect, Zahir Jaffer, was arrested at the crime scene, while Noor’s father filed an FIR the same day. Reports confirmed she was killed with a sharp weapon and beheaded.


    The case sparked nationwide outrage and fueled debates about women’s safety in Pakistan.


    In May 2025, the Supreme Court of Pakistan upheld Zahir Jaffer’s death sentence, confirming that he will remain on death row. He is now seeking a presidential pardon, while jail officials have requested a medical board to assess his condition. So far, he has been declared mentally and psychologically fit, with no signs of illness or brain disorder.

  • Lahore magistrate dismisses charges against transgender persons

    Lahore magistrate dismisses charges against transgender persons

    A magistrate in Lahore has dismissed a case against several transgender individuals who had been arrested for organizing an “objectionable” private gathering, stating that there was insufficient evidence connecting them to the claimed offenses.

    The court’s ruling indicated that the police did not provide any incriminating evidence. It observed that no eyewitnesses were present during the raid, no statements were taken, and no documentation granting permission to enter private property was included in the case file. The ruling further suggested that the defendants seemed to have been implicated based on “forged and concocted facts.”

    The magistrate also denied the police’s plea for a 10-day physical remand and released all the transgender persons. Their lawyer Haider Butt confirmed that they were freed.

    The arrests occurred after videos from the event circulated widely on social media, reportedly showing 50 to 60 participants, including transgender individuals. The Punjab government instructed law enforcement to intervene, prompting a case to be registered at the Naseerabad police station under sections of the Pakistan Penal Code that address obscenity, along with the Sound System Act.

    In the aftermath of the arrests, DIG Operations Lahore Faisal Kamran stated that “promoting obscenity under the guise of a party or photoshoot is a serious legal offense” and cautioned that similar actions would not be tolerated. He also acknowledged that the scheduled screening of the film Joyland, which deals with LGBTQ themes and is banned in Punjab, was halted in the city.

    The incident gained attention when fashion designer Maria B shared clips of the gathering on her social media platforms. She condemned the event, claimed that minors were present, and described it as an attempt to normalize values inconsistent with cultural and religious traditions. Additionally, she associated such gatherings with foreign influence, asserting that she would continue to bring attention to them despite anticipated backlash.

    Conversely, transgender rights advocate Nayyab Ali dismissed the accusations, stating that those depicted in the videos were not affiliated with the rights movement. Ali also noted that the footage only gained widespread attention after Maria B shared it online, questioning whether her actions amounted to the dissemination of “fahashi.”

    Human rights activists and legal experts have since expressed concerns that morality laws, due to their ambiguous language, are susceptible to arbitrary application and often disproportionately impact marginalized communities.

  • US keeps an eye ‘every single day’ on what is happening between Pakistan, India, says Marco Rubio

    US keeps an eye ‘every single day’ on what is happening between Pakistan, India, says Marco Rubio

    US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington monitors the situation between Pakistan and India “every single day,” noting that ceasefires can collapse very quickly.

    In an interview with NBC News on Sunday, he said, “…the only way to have a ceasefire is for both sides to agree to stop firing at one another. And the Russians just haven’t agreed to that.”

    He added, “Beyond that, I would say that one of the complications about ceasefires is they have to be maintained, which is very difficult. I mean, every single day we keep an eye on what’s happening between Pakistan and India, what’s happening between Cambodia and Thailand.”

    The 88-hour-long confrontation between Pakistan and India, that were triggered following the April 22 Pahalgam incident in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), ended when the US President Donald Trump intervened and announced a ceasefire between the two countries on May 10.

    Commenting on the Russia-Ukraine truce deal, the Secretary of State said, “The only way to have a ceasefire is for both sides to agree to stop firing at one another. And the Russians just haven’t agreed to that.”

    “Ceasefires can fall apart very quickly, especially after a three-and-a-half-year war (in Ukraine) like what we’re facing now … what we’re aiming for is not some permanent ceasefire. What we’re aiming for here is a peace deal so there’s not a war now and there’s not a war in the future,” Rubio added.

    On being asked why the US is not imposing more sanctions on Russia if the latter is not ready for a ceasefire with Ukraine, Rubio stated that Moscow was already facing the consequences of the sanctions.

    He said that the direction of the Russia-Ukraine war has not been “altered” despite the sanctions imposed on the Moscow. “The only way to end this war is to get Russians as well as Ukrainians to agree to a peace deal,” he added.

    “The minute you issue new sanctions, your ability to get them to the table, our ability to get them to the table will severely be diminished,” he emphasised.

  • Karachi mother who ‘murdered minor kids’ remanded into police custody

    Karachi mother who ‘murdered minor kids’ remanded into police custody

    A judicial magistrate in Karachi has remanded into police custody the woman who allegedly murdered her two minor children.

    As per the details, Adeeba, 37, was taken presented before the duty magistrate (South) on Sunday when investigators sought a 14-day physical.

    The court, however, issued a two-day remand for the accused and ordered police to submit a progress report at the next hearing.

    According to the FIR lodged by complainant Ghufran Khalid, the woman called her ex-husband on August 14 and asked if he knew what she had done.

    When the husband said that he did not, she allegedly video-called and showed him the bodies of their children, who had been living under her guardianship.

    The man informed the police and his family that his ex-wife had used a sharp-edged weapon to murder the children. Investigators confirmed that the knife used in the killings had been recovered.

    Police said the couple had separated last year and a family court had granted custody of the children to the father, though the mother was allowed visitation rights.

    A murder case was registered at the Darakhshan Police Station under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

  • 47 Israeli tourists stranded in Bosnia after passports discarded at hotel

    47 Israeli tourists stranded in Bosnia after passports discarded at hotel

    47 Israeli tourists are currently stuck in Bosnia and Herzegovina after their passports were accidentally thrown away at a hotel in Sarajevo, preventing the group from returning home. 

    The group was scheduled to return to Israel on Saturday but found that their passports were missing from the hotel’s reception area. Security footage later revealed that a hotel staff member was sorting through papers when a large envelope fell into a trash bin. This envelope, containing the passports, was subsequently picked up by sanitation workers and taken to a dump. 

    The video seemed to confirm that the passports were misplaced without the employee being aware. Efforts to retrieve the documents from the landfill have, so far, been unsuccessful. 

    Some group members told Israeli media they had been instructed to remain at the hotel until authorities resolve the matter, and expect to be stranded for at least a few more days. A few travelers expressed concern that their passports may have been deliberately discarded because they bore Israeli insignia.

    “This is quite unusual. How can someone dispose of passports?” one tourist remarked. “We suspect the passports were thrown away because they bore the Israeli emblem. We want a clear explanation.” 

    Bosnian officials have characterised the incident as unintentional, while the Israeli Foreign Ministry stated that it is providing assistance to the stranded tourists. In a message on Sunday, the ministry confirmed that the situation is being managed by its Department for Israelis in Distress Abroad and the Israeli embassy in Belgrade.

  • Govt to digitize economy to cashless systems

    Govt to digitize economy to cashless systems

    In a bid to accelerate the shift toward a cashless economy, Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif announced that the federal government is actively working to digitalise financial transactions. He made the remarks during a review meeting on Sunday regarding the transition to a cashless system.

    According to details, PM Shehbaz directed provincial chief secretaries to coordinate with Islamabad to expand the Raast system, with plans to extend the digital payment network down to the district level.

    Moving to a cashless economy will yield great benefits for the federal government, especially in the sphere of revenue collection. This is because businesses and individuals alike can evade taxes when making financial transactions with cash as the medium of payment.

    However, digital payments to businesses are recorded and are eligible for taxation. As per reports, the Prime Minister has expressed pleasure over the progress authorities have made thus far to transition to a cashless economy with digital financial systems.

    According to reports, the meeting was informed of the initiative wherein Pakistan will create a digital public infrastructure to enable efficient and secure digital payments. 

    Under the proposed public digital infrastructure, the government is to create digital IDs for all Pakistanis, integrate citizens’ biometrics, mobile numbers, and national identity cards.  Moreover, the stakeholders present at the meeting were briefed on the progress of provincial governments over connecting public-to-government and government-to-public payments with the Raast system.

    While the federal government has made strides to boost digital payments between the public sector and private entities, authorities should work towards digitising financial transactions taking place between private parties. This is because doing so will likely lead to an uptick in the collection figures of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).

    The government could encourage individuals to switch to a cashless economy by offering greater incentives. Currently, individuals pay a five percent tax on digital transactions compared to the 18 percent General Sales Tax (GST) levied on cash transactions. A reduction in the digital transaction tax or an increase in the GST could help accelerate nationwide adoption of digital payments.

    According to reports, development authorities in Islamabad have granted the right of way for fibre connectivity to support the transition to a cashless economy. Additionally, the federal government expects the National Highway Authority and Pakistan Railways to help improve digital infrastructure.

  • Irfan Pathan reveals why he was left out of IPL commentary panel

    Irfan Pathan reveals why he was left out of IPL commentary panel

    Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan has revealed the reason behind his exclusion from this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 commentary panel.

    After retirement, the former player became a regular voice in Indian cricket commentary and was regarded as one of the most popular analysts. But fans were surprised when he was missing from the IPL 2024 commentary panel.

    In a recent interview with Indian digital media, he finally revealed the name of the player whose objection kept him out of the commentary panel. The anchor expressed his ‘Hardik ichha’ to know about the issue. No player’s name was taken but the hint was clear that the player in question was Hardik Pandya.  

    Pathan replied: “You expressed ‘Hardik iccha’ to know aboutt him.  There are 14 matches in IPL. If I have criticised 7 times, then I have gone soft 7 times. You (Hardik) have made a mistake 14 times, I have shown you seven times. This is our job.”

    He also made it clear that his criticism should not be mistaken for personal dislike. “As a broadcaster, it is my responsibility to analyze honestly. Criticism should never be taken as a personal grudge,” he added.

    The former all-rounder stressed that he holds no personal enmity with Hardik. “I have always supported players, including Hardik and his brother Krunal Pandya,” Pathan said.

    At the time, Indian media reported that broadcasters were unhappy with former players bringing personal grudges into commentary and social media, and that Pathan had issues with some cricketers, which he often hinted at in his analysis.

  • Investigation into journalist Khawar Bajwa’s death takes turn as witnesses say they saw gun in his hand

    Investigation into journalist Khawar Bajwa’s death takes turn as witnesses say they saw gun in his hand

    Police have launched a high-level investigation into the mysterious death of Karachi-based journalist Khawar Hussain Bajwa, associated with a private news channel.

    According to officials, Bajwa’s body was moved to the Red Crescent Hospital in Latifabad, Hyderabad, where it has been placed in cold storage until his parents arrive from the United States on Monday morning. His funeral will be held in Sanghar, his ancestral hometown.

    Sindh Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ghulam Nabi Memon said that an FIR would be registered under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

    He added that a team comprising AIG Counterterrorism Azad Khan, DIG West Irfan Ali Baloch, and Sanghar SSP Abid Baloch will lead the investigation, reviewing all aspects of the case and adjusting charges if fresh evidence emerges.

    According to the police, around 8:00 p.m., Bajwa went to a restaurant on Hyderabad Road. Two waiters found the journalist bleeding after an on-duty guard spotted something unusual inside his car. The restaurant staff immediately informed authorities.

    A post-mortem examination was carried out at Civil Hospital, Sanghar. SSP Abid Baloch told a private news channel that Bajwa had suffered a single bullet wound from a 9mm pistol, with an exit mark on the left temple. A single empty cartridge was also recovered. 

    “We are keeping all options open and not reaching conclusions at this stage,” he said, confirming that he had also spoken to the journalist’s widow.

    The restaurant has also provided investigators with CCTV footage. 

    According to security staff, Bajwa went to the restroom before returning to his car. He had not placed an order, and the watchman checked on him and found him injured. Waiters later confirmed seeing a pistol in his hand and blood on his temple.

    Bajwa’s brother-in-law told police that the journalist had not informed his family about the visit. He had only asked them to continue their annual 21st Safar majlis but did not attend it himself.

    His sister later confirmed that Bajwa had celebrated Eid with her, while their parents are currently residing in the US.

    Meanwhile, DIG Irfan Baloch and SSP Abid Baloch have been appointed to a three-member fact-finding committee led by AIG Azad Khan. The committee has been directed to submit its report to the IGP within two days.

    According to an official, Bajwa was using two phones. An iPhone, restored to factory settings without a SIM card, was recovered, while another device is still missing.