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  • Punjab Police gets new chief as Rao Abdul Kareem replaces Usman Anwar

    Punjab Police gets new chief as Rao Abdul Kareem replaces Usman Anwar

    The federal government on Tuesday notified a reshuffle in the top ranks of the Punjab Police, appointing Special Branch Additional Inspector General Rao Abdul Kareem as the new inspector general of police (IGP), replacing Dr Usman Anwar.

    The Establishment Division issued three separate notifications formalising the reshuffle, appointing Dr Usman Anwar as director general of the FIA in place of Riffat Mukhtar, who was transferred and directed to report to the division, and notifying Rao Abdul Kareem as Punjab police chief.

    Punjab Police confirmed the development in a post on X, stating that the force is looking forward to progress under the leadership of the new IGP in areas including public safety, law and order, and justice delivery.

    Rao Abdul Kareem belongs to Nawabshah and joined the Police Service of Pakistan in 1996 as an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP). During his career, Kareem has served in a range of command, operational, and administrative positions. He has previously held posts including commandant of the Punjab Constabulary, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of traffic Punjab, regional police officer Gujranwala, and Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Telecommunication. In addition, Kareem served as district police officer in Mianwali, Kasur, and Jhang. 

    Meanwhile, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi congratulated Dr Usman Anwar on his appointment as DG FIA in a post on X. “Dr Usman’s transformational leadership reshaped Punjab police, setting new benchmarks in professionalism, reform, and public service,” the interior minister said.

    “As he takes charge as DG FIA, a new era begins,” Naqvi added. He expressed hope that “with his vision and dynamism, the public will witness real, visible change in the coming months”.

    Dr Anwar was appointed inspector general of Punjab Police in January 2023 during a major reshuffle carried out by the Punjab caretaker government. Prior to that appointment, he was serving with the National Highways and Motorway Police.

  • French hospital evacuated after WWI artillery shell found inside patient

    French hospital evacuated after WWI artillery shell found inside patient

    A hospital in Toulouse, France, was partially evacuated after doctors discovered an unexploded World War I artillery shell inside a patient who arrived at the emergency department complaining of severe discomfort.

    The patient, identified by French media as a 24-year-old man, was admitted late Saturday night to Rangueil Hospital. Medical staff initially believed he had inserted a foreign object inside, but during emergency surgery, surgeons found a live artillery shell dating back to 1918.


    Reports quoted sources that the shell measured approximately eight inches in length and raised immediate safety concerns, prompting hospital authorities to alert bomb disposal experts and the fire brigade. A security perimeter was established, and sections of the hospital were evacuated as a precaution while specialists assessed the risk.


    Bomb disposal officials later confirmed that the shell did not pose an immediate threat and safely removed it from the hospital premises. The patient remained hospitalized following the procedure and was reported to be recovering.

    Authorities have not disclosed how the man obtained the historical munition, though investigators reportedly suspect it may have been linked to a party stunt. Medical staff told local media that hospitals in the region occasionally treat injuries caused by dangerous personal activities.


    Police sources said the man is expected to be questioned, and prosecutors are considering whether charges may be filed for the illegal possession of military-grade ordnance, which is classified under French law as prohibited “category A” munitions.


    Artillery shells of this kind were widely used by the Imperial German Army during World War I and continue to be uncovered across France during the annual “Iron Harvest,” when unexploded weapons resurface in fields and construction sites.



    This was not the first such incident in France. In 2022, another hospital evacuation occurred in Toulon after an elderly patient arrived with a World War I artillery shell lodged in a similar manner.

  • Washout? Pakistan in trouble as rain threatens opening match in Colombo

    Washout? Pakistan in trouble as rain threatens opening match in Colombo

    The Government of Pakistan has allowed the national cricket team to take part in the upcoming T20 World Cup but has decided not to play the scheduled February 15 match against India, a move that has placed Pakistan in a dicey position early in the tournament.

    Under ICC Playing Conditions Clause 16.10.7, a team that does not take the field forfeits the match. As a result, Pakistan will lose the two points from the India fixture. The full 20 overs of Pakistan’s innings will still count for net run rate calculations, which will significantly damage their net run rate. 

    India, however, will receive the match points and its net run rate will not be affected by the forfeited game.

    The qualification format further complicates Pakistan’s situation. The 20 teams in the tournament are divided into four groups of five, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the Super Eight stage. Losing two points without playing means Pakistan will have no margin for error in the remaining group matches.

    Pakistan is placed in Group A along with India, the Netherlands, the United States and Namibia, with all five teams scheduled to play their group matches in Colombo.

    Pakistan will open its campaign against the Netherlands in Colombo starting at 10:30 am, followed by matches against the United States on February 10 and Namibia on February 18, while the February 15 fixture against India will be forfeited.

    Weather conditions have added another layer of concern.

    According to BBC Weather, thundery showers are expected on Saturday, February 7, with light winds throughout the day. Temperatures may reach around 32 degrees Celsius during the day and fall to nearly 22 degrees at night. Rain is more likely from the afternoon into the evening, while the morning may remain partly cloudy.

    If rain causes a washout, Pakistan’s qualification hopes could suffer further damage. With the loss of points against India already confirmed, Pakistan will likely need to win all three remaining group matches and improve their net run rate significantly to stay in contention.

    Any further loss of points, whether through rain or defeat, would force Pakistan to rely on other teams’ results, a scenario that has often haunted the greenshirts in major tournaments.

  • Muneeb Qadir vs Arvind Saharan: History debate turns into viral war

    Muneeb Qadir vs Arvind Saharan: History debate turns into viral war

    Pakistani law professor and author Muneeb Qadir and Indian journalist Arvind Saharan became the latest figures in a cross-border online spat, sparking a viral debate over history, trolling, and interpretation of events like the 1965 India-Pakistan war.


    The clash began after an edited clip from their interview circulated online, with critics mocking Qadir for calling himself a “history buff” and questioning his knowledge. 


    Some even accused him of “googling historical facts” mid-interview. The clip quickly went viral, triggering a storm of reactions from Pakistani netizens.


    In response, Qadir released a clarification video, defending his approach and emphasizing that the full context of the interview had been ignored. 


    He also criticized what he described as attempts to bait him into propaganda, refusing to assign blame to either country for historical conflicts.


    “The clip can be interpreted in so many ways,” he said. 


    He explained that the interview had started as a light, cultural exchange between Pakistan and India, but Saharan asked a leading question: “Who do you think is guilty for the 1965 war?” Qadir refused to assign blame to either country, arguing that territorial disputes are complicated and cannot be simplified into black-and-white narratives.



    “I was never going to say Pakistan was at fault,” Qadir said. “Statehood, nationalism, and territoriality are complex. Any sovereign nation attempting to reclaim its territory can adopt measures it deems necessary. The same logic applies globally from Russia in Ukraine to America’s attention on Greenland and Venezuela.”



    The online debate intensified when Saharan responded to Qadir’s clarification, challenging him:

    “Do you want me to make a video and play your voice notes from before and after the discussion? You were keen to participate and even thanked me for it. What you said is entirely your responsibility.”

    Qadir fired back:

    “You want me to make screenshots of your messages praising me to the moon to reveal your duplicitous face, you snake?”


    Saharan replied: “Please make the screenshots and share them. I’m dying to see them.”

  • Sialkot Stallionz officially sign Steve Smith ahead of PSL 11

    Sialkot Stallionz officially sign Steve Smith ahead of PSL 11

    Sialkot Stallionz, one of the two new franchises in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), have officially signed former Australia captain Steve Smith ahead of PSL 11.

    The franchise announced the signing on social media, writing, “One of the biggest signings in PSL history: a game changer, powerhouse player, we welcome Steve Smith on board as a Stallion! SS x SS – Lets goooooo “

    Smith will join former Australia wicketkeeper-batter Tim Paine, who has been appointed head coach of the team. 

    The Stallionz were introduced as one of two new PSL teams and are owned by OZ Developers, led by Hamza Majeed and Kamil Khan. The ownership rights were acquired during the PSL 2026 auction for a record Rs 1.85 billion, making it the most expensive franchise purchase in league history.

    Smith, who has never played in the PSL, arrives on the back of a sensational Big Bash League season with Sydney Sixers. He scored 299 runs in six matches at an average of 59.80 and a strike rate of 167.97, including a 42-ball century. 

    Overall, he has played 272 T20 matches, scoring 6,242 runs at an average of 32.68 with a strike rate of 131.38, including five centuries and 30 half-centuries.

    Under PSL 11 rules, franchises can directly sign one foreign player who did not feature in PSL 10.

  • From margins to meaning: Green Entertainment and the power of narrative on the global stage

    From margins to meaning: Green Entertainment and the power of narrative on the global stage

    Some conversations shape policy. Others shape perception. And then there are those rare moments where culture quietly enters spaces of power and begins to question what the world has learned to see and what it has chosen to ignore.

    At the UK Forum on Cultural Diplomacy 2026, held at the Palace of Westminster in London, such a moment unfolded as Pakistani media found its voice within a global dialogue on cooperation, representation and leadership. Among parliamentarians, diplomats and cultural leaders, Green Entertainment’s participation marked more than institutional presence; it marked an intervention into how stories from South Asia, particularly those about women are framed and understood.

    Green Entertainment’s Chief Executive Fasih Ur Rehman and Executive Director Tehreem Chaudhary

    with Mr. Miguel Angel Moratinos, Under-Secretary-General, High Representative for the UN

    Representing the channel were CEO Fasih ur Rehman and Executive Director Tehreem Chaudhary, whose address placed media at the centre of cultural responsibility. Speaking as a Pakistani woman, a Muslim, and a media professional, Tehreem Chaudhary challenged the notion that storytelling merely reflects society. Instead, she argued, it shapes what societies accept, legitimise, and inspire.

    “Media does not simply mirror reality,” she noted during her address, “it shapes what is accepted, respected and imagined as possible.”

    Rather than relying on familiar tropes, Green Entertainment’s creative approach has leaned toward narrative restraint and social texture. Its dramas such as Working Women, Standup Girl, 22 Qadam, Jindo, Nauroz, and the widely discussed Pamaal have explored women not in isolation, but in relation to systems; family, work, power and consequence. The emphasis is less on idealized empowerment and more on believable choice: women who negotiate authority, confront limitations and exercise agency within recognizable realities. This narrative approach has allowed the channel’s work to resonate across audiences without flattening complexity.

    Green Entertainment’s Chief Executive Fasih Ur Rehman with former Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh.

    Tehreem Chaudhary also reflected on the broader cultural and historical context of women’s leadership. She cited examples from Muslim history, including Fatima al-Fihriya, who established the world’s oldest university, and Hazrat Khadija (R.A), the wife of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), a respected businesswoman and leader. She also referenced Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan’s first female Prime Minister, as a source of inspiration for women leaders today. She highlighted how women from Muslim and South Asian societies are frequently discussed in global conversations without being directly included, resulting in narratives that often feel removed from lived realities. She underlined that Pakistani society, like many others, is complex, where tradition and progress coexist, and faith and ambition are not in conflict. Women’s leadership is already present, and their presence reflects competence, credibility and sustained authority.

    (Fasih Ur Rehman, CEO Green Entertainment at the UK Forum on Cultural Diplomacy 2026)

    For Green Entertainment, participation in the forum reflected a broader creative philosophy: that television is not just content, but culture. And culture, when represented with honesty and depth, travels beyond borders more powerfully than rhetoric.

    As conversations around representation and influence continue globally, Green Entertainment’s presence at Westminster underscored a quiet shift. Pakistani stories are no longer asking for space, they are claiming it, on their own terms.

  • Trevor Noah’s Grammy jokes enrage Trump

    Trevor Noah’s Grammy jokes enrage Trump

    US President Donald Trump has threatened legal action against Trevor Noah over a joke referencing the “Epstein Files” made during the comedian’s opening monologue at the 2026 Grammy Awards.

    Trump responded hours after the ceremony, criticising both the awards show and its host. “The Grammy Awards are the WORST, virtually unwatchable! The host, Trevor Noah, whoever he may be, is almost as bad as Jimmy Kimmel at the Low Ratings Academy Awards”. 

    The president accused Noah of making an incorrect claim. “Noah said, INCORRECTLY about me, that Donald Trump and Bill Clinton spent time on Epstein Island,” Trump added.

    He denied any connection to the island linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. “WRONG!!! I can’t speak for Bill, but I have never been to Epstein Island, nor anywhere close, and until tonight’s false and defamatory statement, have never been accused of being there, not even by the Fake News Media”. Trump also warned of legal action. “Noah, a total loser, better get his facts straight, and get them straight fast. It looks like I’ll be sending my lawyers to sue this poor, pathetic, talentless, dope of an M.C., and suing him for plenty$. Ask Little George Slopadopolus, and others, how that all worked out. Also ask CBS! Get ready Noah, I’m going to have some fun with you!”

    The remarks come a day after Noah opened the Grammys with repeated political references aimed at Trump. The most direct came following Billie Eilish’s Song of the Year win, when Noah linked the award to Trump in a joke referencing Greenland. “That is a Grammy that every artist wants almost as much as Trump wants Greenland, which makes sense because Epstein’s island is gone, he needs a new one to hang out with Bill Clinton.”

    Political references continued throughout the ceremony, with Noah joking about his decision to step down as host. “This is my sixth and final time hosting,” he said. “I believe in term limits. Leave when your time is up.”

  • Khawaja Asif calls for new international cricket organisation as ICC comes under Indian political influence

    Khawaja Asif calls for new international cricket organisation as ICC comes under Indian political influence

    Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has called for a new international cricket organisation.

    Taking to X, he wrote “A new international organisation of cricket is needed to keep the spirit of the gentleman’s game alive, ICC has become hostage to Indian political interests in South Asia.”

    The controversy comes after the Government of Pakistan allowed the national team to participate in the upcoming T20 World Cup but decided not to play the scheduled February 15 match against India. Pakistan reportedly made the decision in solidarity with Bangladesh.

    The move follows Bangladesh’s request to shift all its matches from India to Sri Lanka due to security concerns. The request came after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BBCI) removed Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman from the Indian Premier League (IPL) amid reported threats from Hindu extremist groups. 

    Bangladesh argued that if India could not guarantee the safety of a single player, it could not ensure the security of an entire team during a global tournament.

    Instead of addressing the concerns, the ICC replaced Bangladesh with Scotland. Pakistan described the decision as unfair and noted that the ICC had previously allowed India to play at a neutral venue after it refused to travel to Pakistan for the 2025 Champions Trophy. Pakistan said it stood firmly with Bangladesh and called the denial of similar consideration an injustice.

    Earlier, Pakistan had linked its participation in the tournament to government approval. After PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif last week, the government announced on Sunday that Pakistan would skip the high-profile match against India. 

    Despite the boycott, Pakistan remains well placed to qualify for the next round based on its remaining group matches.

    The decision has raised major financial concerns for Indian broadcasters. The Pakistan-India clash ranks as the most valuable fixture in world cricket. Reports estimate that Indian broadcasters could lose nearly $250 million, around 70 billion Pakistani rupees, if the match is not played. The ICC could also lose millions in gate revenue.

    Reports suggest that almost half of the total revenue from the T20 World Cup depends on the Pakistan-India fixture. The boycott is expected to affect broadcasters, advertisers, and other stakeholders. 

    Pakistan receives around $35 million annually as its ICC revenue share. Following broadcaster losses, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) could face legal action over commercial commitments.

  • ‘President Erdoğan offers to take Imran Khan to Türkiye’

    ‘President Erdoğan offers to take Imran Khan to Türkiye’

    Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has reportedly offered to take former prime minister Imran Khan to Türkiye, former information minister Mushahid Hussain Syed has claimed during a discussion on a private news channel program hosted by journalist Asma Shirazi.

    Discussing reports of a possible political settlement, Asma Shirazi noted rumours of a “last chance” for Khan and speculation about him leaving the country. Mushahid Hussain said he had heard that Erdoğan had extended an offer. “If Imran Khan wants to come to Türkiye, he would be most welcome”.


    Reacting to the claim, Asma Shirazi described it as a major development and asked whether the offer had been made earlier or had resurfaced recently. Mushahid Hussain clarified that he was referring to 2025.

    Mushahid Hussain said that nothing is impossible in politics, noting that if Imran Khan chose to consider the offer, a path could still open.

    He recalled that there had been discussion around Imran Khan’s release after the US presidential election in November 2024.  However, some of his own PTI allies sabotaged the plan. He added that in such dynamics, hawks and doves exist in every political camp, and that the political impasse had continued from 2022 through 2025, dominating the political landscape.

    On whether a settlement is possible, Mushahid Hussain said such outcomes could not be ruled out, noting that Imran Khan has been part of the system and maintained strong relations with the establishment over the years.

  • No sanctions if Pakistan follows govt decision, says former ICC chairman

    No sanctions if Pakistan follows govt decision, says former ICC chairman

    Former International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Ehsan Mani has said Pakistan will not face any sanctions for boycotting its scheduled T20 World Cup match against India.

    Speaking to media, Mani said, “If the Pakistan team follows government instructions and skips the match, no punishment can be imposed.” He stressed that India also refused to play its matches in Pakistan during the 2025 Champions Trophy due to government directives. “So applying sanctions on Pakistan now would reflect a double standard.”

    Mani criticized the ICC for failing to address the issue properly, saying, “It stood by as a spectator and left the door open for politics to enter the sport.”

    Senior sports journalist Faizan Lakhani also responded to Indian media claims on X that the ICC could ban Pakistan from future events. 

    He wrote, “Those claiming ‘ICC will do this, ICC will do that’ should first understand how contracts work. Every major contract or agreement includes a force majeure clause. It covers government-mandated decisions, among other factors, and relieves parties from obligations and liabilities arising from such circumstances. That clause provides full legal cover to the PCB as well. Do you really think Pakistan announced this decision without doing its legal homework first?”

    Pakistan had allowed its national cricket team to participate in the T20 World Cup. However, in a gesture of solidarity with Bangladesh, the team will boycott the February 15 match against India.