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  • PM Imran says had no idea how to run govt for first three months

    PM Imran says had no idea how to run govt for first three months

    Prime Minister Imran Khan has said when his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), came to power it virtually had no idea how to run the government and it took them at least three months to understand the state of affairs.

    Addressing a special ceremony to sign ‘Performance Agreements of the Federal Government for the Year 2020-21’ in Islamabad, the PM said the new government shouldn’t assume power without preparation. “From the outside, it looked different compared to what is actually happening within the system,” the PM said.

    “When the PTI came to power, it took us three months to understand things and form our team,” he said, adding that Pakistan needed to review its systems. “We’re gradually learning things.”

    According to the premier, this system that keeps the incoming governments in the dark about the state of affairs must be changed. “We need to tweak it, so a new setup can be given enough time to learn the ropes after a comprehensive briefing by the outgoing government,” he said, adding that the first thing was that we should review the system and after once your team was made, then it should be given full time to prepare.

     Imran said it was his habit to look at everything in his life to see what could be done better or improved.

    “We have two-and-a-half years left to make the government’s performance better. We no longer have any excuses. It’s time for us to perform… It’s time for performance now. We need to put pressure on ourselves to perform and our ministers also need to put pressure on themselves to improve performance as well,” he added.

  • Top Israeli rabbi prays for safety of UAE royal family

    Top Israeli rabbi prays for safety of UAE royal family

    Israel’s top rabbi inaugurated a Jewish nursery school in Dubai on Sunday and made a special Jewish ritual for the safety of the ruling family in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), according to Israeli media.


    The Sephardi Cheif Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef arrived in the Gulf state on Thursday, marking his first visit to an Arab country. The official Israeli Twitter account – Israel in Arabic – published photos for Rabbi Yosef while inaugurating the new Jewish school in Dubai.


    As part of his visit, Rabbi Yosef named Levi Duchman as rabbi of the Jewish community in the UAE, and inaugurated a new synagogue in the capital city of Abu Dhabi, according to the Times of Israel newspaper.


    The Jewish rabbi also met with UAE officials, including the ministers of tolerance, culture and health.


    According to Israeli figures, some 3,000 Jews live in the UAE, mostly in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.


    Israel and the UAE signed a US-sponsored deal in September to normalise their relations, a move that was followed by Bahrain and Sudan, and recently Morocco.


    The normalisation agreements have drawn widespread condemnations from Palestinians, who say the accords ignore their rights and do not serve the Palestinian cause.

  • HEC introduces e-services for online degree attestation

    HEC introduces e-services for online degree attestation

    The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has introduced online degree attestation.  As per details, all students seeking degree attestation should apply on their website via http://eservices.hec.gov.pk.

    In a statement, the HEC HEC informed that the attestation process would no longer function on the previous link, adding that the old applicants would use their formerly verified username and password to log-in to the ‘e-services’.

    This online verification and attestation service is Pakistan’s first electronic verification service. Students can go to the website and upload the relevant documents to get their degrees attested.

    Earlier in an interview with The Current, Federal Minister for Education, Shafqat Mahmood had said that HEC was working to facilitate students and make life easier for them.

  • Ishaq Dar ‘enjoyed intense interview’, believes BBC HARDtalk host

    Stephen Sackur, the host of the BBC News HARDtalk show, said that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ishaq Dar “appeared to enjoy and appreciate the intense conversation at times” during the show that many say had left Dar ‘redfaced’.

    Dar had appeared on the BBC show last month, where he was grilled by the show host for allegedly owning assets beyond means. He had failed to give straight answers, a fact celebrated by the government officials.

    BBC Urdu interviewed Sackur, who told them that he “enjoyed” interviewing the former finance minister of Pakistan. “I was delighted that Ishaq Dar wanted to be on the show. We are making conscious efforts to cover Pakistan more thoroughly on HARDtalk,” the journalist told BBC Urdu.

    According to Sackur, his show is “supposed to be an intense interview” and Dar was no exception,” he added. Sackur said he has enough experience to ensure that high-profile figures don’t dodge the questions. “The trick is you ask the same question so many times to get the straight answer,” he said.

    The BBC anchorperson said HARDtalk was not a “boxing match where he treated the interviewee like an opponent”.

    He also praised Dar for being a “direct speaker”.

    DAR ON HARDTALK:

    Last month, Dar, who is in a self-imposed exile after corruption cases were filed against him, appeared on BBC News to talk about corruption charges, PML-N’s fight against the government, and NAB.

    During the show, the host asked Dar: “Is it your contention that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has no integrity? To this, Dar responded that NAB has lost its integrity. “It is an institution that has been used against political opponents.”

    Dar said the prime allegation in the Panama Papers Joint Investigation Team report on which the Supreme Court directed NAB to file a reference against him was that he didn’t file his tax returns in Pakistan for 20 years i.e. 1981-2001. Dar said as a chartered account, he had never missed filing his tax returns while living in the UK and North America, as he called these “blatant allegations”.

    At this the host asked Dar about the number of properties owned by his family. The PML-N leader responded, “It’s all in my tax returns.”

    Upon the insistence of the host, he said: “I have my main residence in Pakistan which has been taken over by this regime… I haven’t got too many properties.”

    “How many properties do you and your family own,” the host asked him again. At this, Dar said: “One.” At this, the show host asked him about the news reports in the Pakistan press that claim that the former PML-N minister owned multiple properties in and outside Pakistan. “You are sitting in London and you don’t own anything here,” the host asked Dar.

    Dar responded that he doesn’t own any property in London or anywhere else as claimed by the media reports.

    However, he went on to admit that his sons recently acquired a villa in Dubai. “They are adult and are in the business for the past 17 years,” he clarified.

    Dar, 69, is currently in London, “undergoing medical treatment”. He is absconding from several cases in Pakistan since 2017 and has been declared a proclaimed offender by the courts. He is facing charges of accumulating assets beyond known sources of income.

  • #2020Rewind: What were Pakistanis listening to?

    Music streaming platform Patari has revealed the top songs and artists for the year 2020, among other stats.

    According to their lists, Ali Sethi, Shamoon Ismail and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan are among the most streamed artists in Pakistan.

    Shamoon Ismail’s song Rung was the most streamed song followed by Bilal Saeed and Momina Mustehsan’s Baari.

    Meanwhile, Strings was the most-streamed band in 2020, while Teri Tasveer by Bayaan was the most streamed album this year. Hadiqa Kianai was the most streamed female artist in 2020.

    Check out the complete list below:

  • Meera loses her phone, seeks help on social media

    Meera loses her phone, seeks help on social media

    Meera Jee has reportedly lost her phone and has now requested her fans and followers to help her find it.

    In a video message, Meera informed her fans about the lost item saying: “I have misplaced my phone, my iPhone”.

    She also offered a reward to whoever finds her lost phone.

    “I will give 5 lac as a reward to whoever finds my phone,” said the actor.

    Earlier this year,  Meera was accused of fraud and earning money through illegal means by a family. In response to the allegations of fraud, she did an emotional and chaotic press conference in which she threatened to hang herself publicly if the allegations are proven to be true.

    “I will hang myself if I am found guilty of fraud and corruption. Some elements are targeting me and continuously doing propaganda. I challenge all those who are involved,” a teary-eyed Meera had said.

    She went onto say that much like the character she has played on screen, she is a heroine in real life as well.

    “I am a heroine in my real life,” stated the actor. “My whole life and career are based on struggle and hard work. I’m the superstar of Pakistan, I’m the heroine of Pakistan. In films and in real life, I live in the character of a heroine.”

  • NZvPAK: Muhammad Hafeez reinvents himself at 40

    NZvPAK: Muhammad Hafeez reinvents himself at 40

    After his career best performance in second T20I against New Zealand, Hafeez has achieved another milestone, reinventing himself at the age of 40.

    Hafeez who is fondly referred to as ‘Professor’ has achieved a milestone by equalling Shoaib Malik’s 2323 T20I runs for Pakistan. Showing his class, which comes with experience, Hafeez not coming slow at this age.

    Scoring 99 runs and not out in the second T20I against the black caps, Hafeez helped Pakistan win in the third and final match, achieving the most T20I runs scored by a player in the year 2020, that is 415 runs in total.

    Continuing his dream run in the shortest format, Hafeez pumped the New Zealand bowlers for three sixes and two fours in his valuable contribution of 41 runs.

    Hafeez’s departure was followed by Muhammad Rizwan stamping his authority on the proceedings and punishing the bowlers for their wayward lengths.

    Rizwan hit three delightful sixes, all off length deliveries, during his excellent innings and pierced the gaps with surgical precision to take his team closer to the finishing line and got out at 89 in the final over.

    Iftikhar Ahmed sealed the deal with an enormous six that touched the rooftop, stealing a win for Pakistan, beating the Kiwis with four wickets in hand.

    Hafeez took to Twitter and thanked Allah, “Alhamdu Lillah! Allah is the best planner.”

    Hafeez will now come back to Pakistan, while the national side will now face New Zealand in two Test Matches, starting December 26 under Rizwan’s captaincy.

  • Motorway police introduces anti-sleep device for drivers

    In a bid to curb traffic accidents, the National Highways and Motorway Police has introduced an alarm-like device to keep drivers from falling asleep at the steering wheel, and claims that it will significantly reduce the rate of accidents on the motorway.

    The device is designed to be worn on their ears and has sensors that set off an alarm if and when a driver’s head tilts forward due to drowsiness. The alarm is a loud beep that sounds off near the ears of the driver. As reported by a motorway policeman who demonstrated the use of the device in a video, it actually costs Rs. 750 but will be made available for public use at Rs. 300 with the help of an unnamed donor.

    The policeman also informed the media that the department will introduce the device in coordination with the traders associations and local administrations. He added that roadside stalls will be placed in each area to sell the device to the public. The motorway police department affirmed that most of the accidents on the motorway are caused by drivers who fall asleep while driving, because of which hundreds of citizens lose their lives on a regular basis. It added that the new devices can be worn by both drivers and passengers to prevent such catastrophes.

  • ‘Intoxicated’ couple who assaulted cops in Lahore identified

    Police have identified a couple, who misbehaved with the Lahore police officials on Sunday, and efforts are underway to arrest the suspects.

    The man has been identified as Sher Khan, a resident of Kharian, Gujrat, while the woman has been identified as Kinza, according to ARY News. However, no arrests have been made so far, as a police team that was sent to arrest the suspects came back empty-handed after a raid at their residences.

    The video of the incident had gone viral on Sunday after a woman, who looked intoxicated, started misbehaving with the police officers after they stopped her from allegedly consuming alcohol in public. The woman could also be seen slapping a policeman who was trying to film her actions.

    The FIR of the case registered at the DHA Phase V police station stated the woman and her friend had entered into a brawl with police officers when the latter tried to stop them from consuming alcohol in public.

    Authorities say the ‘intoxicated’ woman had first misbehaved with the staff of the cafe before coming on the street outside. “The guard of the restaurant stopped the woman as she was consuming alcohol in public,” a police officer was quoted by a media outlet as saying. “Both of them got into an argument after which police in the neighbourhood stopped by to clear the commotion.”

    The Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) had also taken notice of the incident that occurred on Saturday night and summoned a detailed report in this regard from the Defence ASP. CCPO Sheikh had also lauded the police officers for being patient with the woman despite her attack.

  • Creditors reschedule loans worth Rs272bn

    Creditors reschedule loans worth Rs272bn

    Pakistan has secured a $1.7 billion (Rs272 billion) debt relief agreement to help offset the financial headwinds sparked by the coronavirus pandemic, officials have said.

    The deal, following months of negotiations with creditors, will provide a moratorium on debt payments for large swathes of the current fiscal year and help ease the cash-strapped country’s massive financial obligations.

    “The Government of Pakistan has successfully negotiated and concluded rescheduling agreements with 19 bilateral creditors, including members of the Paris club,” the Ministry of Economic Affairs said.

    The ministry described the deal as ‘timely’ that will help save the ‘lives and livelihoods of millions’. Pakistan’s economy was already on life support before officials began shuttering large segments of the economy in the spring as a range of lockdown measures were rolled out to fight the spread of the coronavirus.

    Prime Minister Imran Khan has repeatedly called for debt forgiveness from international donors as tax revenues cratered, inflation soared, the currency was devalued, and fiscal deficits widened.

    In June, Pakistan was named as one of a handful of countries to secure a moratorium on debt repayments from the Paris Club in an effort to ease the economic impact of the coronavirus crisis.