After the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) suspended a Lahore High Court (LHC) order staying the appointment of Returning Officers (ROs) from the executive branch, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) released the much-awaited election schedule on Friday night, affirming that general polls in Pakistan are set to take place on February 8 next year.
ECP will now resume training ROs and District Returning Officers (DROs).
The election programme extends to reserved seats for women and non-Muslims in the National Assembly (NA) as well as the four provincial assemblies of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan.
The election schedule was released late at night in accordance with the directives of the SC.
Earlier, the Lahore High Court (LHC) stayed the notification of the appointment of DROs and ROs from the bureaucracy and halted their training.
The LHC announced its judgement in response to a petition submitted by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
Today Pakistan is observing the ninth anniversary of the terrorist attack on the Army Public School Peshawar which took the lives of 144 people, mostly students.
The heinous attack happened in 2014 and is widely described as Pakistan’s 9/11 for the shockwaves it created nationally and internationally. Schools were shut down in the country due to the security risk whereas vigils were held all over the world.
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack.
Following the attack, Pakistan’s military and civil leadership sat down to formulate a National Action Plan which primarily aimed at curbing the menace of terrorism. Different military operations were launched to root out several militant elements in the country. The most prominent operations were Zarb-e-Azab and Radul Fassad.
Pakistan stands out as one of the worst victims of terrorism with over 80,000 lives lost and economic loss surpassing $150 billion.
However, the menace is resurfacing with Pakistan a considerable increase in terror activities in recent months, especially in KP and Balochistan, after TTP ended its ceasefire with the government in November last year.
Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) in a report showed that the country experienced a 34 percent increase in anti-state violence last month.
Gold prices in Pakistan experienced a marginal uptick on Friday, with the value of 24-karat gold climbing by Rs300 per tola, concluding the session at Rs218,600.
According to the Karachi Sarafa Association, the closing rate for 10-gramme 24-karat gold in today’s session reached Rs187,414, marking an increase of Rs257.
Simultaneously, the price of 10-gramme 22-karat gold reached Rs171,796, reflecting a rise of Rs235.
In the domestic market, silver prices also saw an upward trend, with 24-karat silver and 10-gramme 24-karat silver settling at Rs2,670 and Rs2,289.09, respectively.
It is noteworthy that the domestic bullion market displayed a robust recovery in the previous session after enduring five consecutive losses, resulting in a cumulative loss of Rs6,300 for 24-karat gold.
This surge was attributed to a rally in international markets, which persisted today, contributing to gains in the domestic market.
As of the latest update, international spot gold is trading at $2,041.17, reflecting a 0.26 per cent increase for the day.
The ongoing upward trajectory in international gold prices is influenced by the recent statement from the US Federal Reserve, which indicates a cumulative rate cut of 75 basis points in 2024.
Green TV’s new serial ‘Breaking News’ is a rather fresh concept among the current lot of dramas currently running on television. True to the Green track record, the serial promises an out-of-the-box story. Two episodes have been released till the time this review is being written.
The story revolves around Mishaal and Hussain, a pair in love (but not madly so), equally focused on their respective careers. The boy brought up in an urban and slightly privileged background, shows restraint in his countenance. Mishal, on the other hand, is a small-town girl, ambitious and a lot more expressive. She lives in a rented place where her landlady’s teenage son has an eye for her but she is traditional enough to not share it with Hussain even though he asks the reason for her discomfort multiple times.
Mishal is played by Amar Khan and Hussain is played by ‘Fairytale’ star Hamza Sohail. They both look the part and the styling is on point for the strata they represent.
There is a parallel story of Naveed Khan played by Ali Safina, the corrupt television anchor born to a journalist father who died a terrible death after reporting against a local politician. As a kid, he was beaten for the same crime his father committed. He is a masochist- inflicting pain on himself- and conducts a completely staged show against ethical norms, only to get the ratings. He is also lenient towards his content director Hussain’s idealism which in most instances is in clash with his desire to get views and ratings.
Like other Kashif Nisar’s ventures, the drama is real and relatable but less bleak. That may prove to be wrong in the future as the teaser for the coming episode promises things turning topsy-turvy for the lead characters. The negative side of media and the risk journalists put themselves through has been shown in multiple projects including the recent ‘Ishq e Laa’, but a dedicated project to the modus operandi of media, the rat race of ratings and the rhetoric of “screen ki sage par jab sach lutta hai wo bikta hai”.
Airing twice a week, the show is a window into the optics of news medium, the 24/7 media feed culture, and the dirty politics of breaking news keeping morality at bay. The tug-of-war that goes between anchors in this industry will provide insight into how they contribute to the industry with this crisply written script.
Pakistani model Hasnain Lehri made a stunning debut in the second season of the popular Netflix series ‘Dubai Bling’, when he stunned his paramour, Lebanese reality TV star Loujain ‘LJ’ Adada, with an elaborate proposal in front of friends during the season finale.
The Netflix reality TV series, which premiered in 2022, delves into the lives of affluent and glamorous Arab women in Dubai as they navigate the complexities of high society, fashion, and relationships. Each episode, lasting approximately 45 minutes, showcases extravagant parties, designer clothes and opulent lifestyles.
In episode seven of Dubai Bling season two, Lehri’s grand proposal to Adada marked the conclusion of the season. The gripping moment left the audience eagerly anticipating Adada’s response, as the episode concluded without revealing her answer.
Last year, Lehri acknowledged his real-life relationship with Adada, making their on-screen chemistry sweeter.
Taking to Instagram, he shared a stunning intimate photo of himself and Adada in each other’s embrace. He also captioned the photo with a heartfelt message for his lady love.
“I thought fairy tales would never come true until I met my princess,” the caption read, followed by their initials “H” and “L” written with an infinity symbol. Adada also replied to the Instagram post in the comments.
Reciprocating the sentiments, she said, “My heart, H! Fairytales do come true.”
In 2012, Adada tied the knot with Walid Juffali, a late Saudi Arabian business magnate and billionaire.
She was reportedly 25-years-old and he was 60 at the time. Juffali passed away in 2016 after a long battle with cancer. The supermodel currently has two daughters.
When she was just 14, Adada started her modelling career, immediately landing photoshoots and establishing an impressive portfolio in preparation for a career in the runway business.
At 21, she was given the opportunity to present the music program Energy Spin Magazine on MTV Lebanon. However, after her marriage, the star took a long hiatus from media until her big comeback with Netflix’s hit reality TV show, Dubai Bling.
Lehri, on the other hand, confirmed dating fellow model Sabeeka Imam in 2018. However, the duo parted ways after a year.
Imam shared the news of their breakup in a post, writing, “And so this journey officially comes to an end. It has been a long time since we both realised that our paths are destined to be separate. After multiple attempts and much consideration, we have called it quits.”
Lehri is the first supermodel in Pakistan to bag five Lux Style Awards including picking up the coveted trophy four years in a row. In 2017, Lehri was also mentioned in the Top 100 Sexiest Asian Men list by Eastern Eye.
It looks like Nida Yasir and Yasir Nawaz are not into beach holidays. The famous couple have made a rather different choice when it comes to vacation destination.
The duo just had a winter vacation in Finland complete with snowfall and freezing temperatures. Even though it is very cold during the snowy Christmas season, they look like they had a lot of fun. Nida looked stylish in her trendy outfit. They shared some awesome pictures from their chilly vacation. Check it out:
The Supreme Court on Friday issued notices to former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) director-general Faiz Hameed and others on former Islamabad High Court (IHC) judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui’s petition challenging his removal.
The notices were also issued to former IHC chief justice Anwar Khan Kasi, former registrar of the Supreme Court Arbab Muhammad Arif, and retired brigadier Irfan Ramay.
Former IHC Chief Justice Anwar Khan KasiFormer Registrar of the Supreme Court Arbab Muhammad ArifRetired Brigadier Irfan Ramay
A five-member bench led by CJP Qazi Faez Isa, comprising Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi, and Justice Irfan Saadat Khan, conducted proceedings on the plea.
Today’s hearing was broadcast live on the apex court’s website as well as on its YouTube channel.
Siddiqui nominated seven individuals in his amended plea, however, the court remarked that three others — former chief of army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa, and two retired brigadiers- Faisal Marwat and Tahir Wafai — had no direct connection with the case.
A day earlier, the top court ordered Siddiqui to nominate former spy chief Hameed, former army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa, and others in the plea against his dismissal.
Following the order, the former judge requested to make Bajwa and Hameed parties in the case related to his suspension along with IHC chief justice Anwar Khan Kasi, former registrar of the Supreme Court Arbab Muhammad Arif, retired brigadier Irfan Ramay, retired brigadier Faisal Marwat and retired brigadier Tahir Wafai.
The case was fixed for hearing earlier this month after the judge filed a miscellaneous application with the Supreme Court to conduct an early hearing of his plea against the decision by the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) on his dismissal.
Lawyer Hamid Khan represented the former IHC judge in the case.
The Case
President Arif Alvi on October 11, 2018, removed Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui as judge of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on the recommendation of the Supreme Judicial Council (SCJ).
The president took the decision under Article 209(5)on the SJC recommendation under Article 209(6) read with Article 48(1) of the Constitution, a notification issued by the Ministry of Law and Justice stated.
The council unanimously opined that while delivering the speech before the District Bar Association in Rawalpindi on July 21, Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui, an IHC judge, displayed conduct unbecoming of a high court judge.
Judges on the panel included: Then Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar, Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, Justice Gulzar Ahmad, Lahore High Court’s Chief Justice Yawar Ali, and Chief Justice of the Sindh High Court Justice Ahmed Ali Sheikh.
Justice Khosa said that the judge in question chose to address a meeting of the district bar association, Rawalpindi on July 21 at a time when many inquiries were pending against him before the SJC under Article 209.
In his speech, Siddiqui accused the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of manipulating judicial proceedings, especially in the Panamagate case.
The ex-judge had submitted a plea against the Supreme Judicial Council’s (SJC) decision to dismiss him after a complaint was filed against him for inflammatory speeches.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has confessed that it was a misstep to secure a stay order from the Lahore High Court (LHC) against Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on appointing District Returning Officers (DROs) and Returning Officers (ROs) from the bureaucracy for upcoming general elections.
PTI senator Barrister Syed Ali Zafar said while speaking on Geo News’ ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’ that PTI can approach LHC to request the removal of the stay order against the appointment of DROs and ROs for the forthcoming election set to take place on February 8, next year.
“The PTI may withdraw the stay order to speed up the case hearing on merits to decide the fate of the appointment of DROs and ROs,” he remarked.
The senator also said that the impression and criticism that PTI’s petition is delaying polls seems correct.
However, the PTI leader also stated that the party’s stance on filing the petition against the appointment of officers from bureaucracy is right.
“Even though we want elections to be held by judicial officers and the ECP probably wants them to be conducted by bureaucracy, whatever the results are, we should accept them as it is the mandate of the masses,” he said.
Israel pressed its offensive in the Gaza Strip on Friday after telling a key supporter, the United States of America that the war to crush Hamas will last “more than several months”.
On Thursday, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met in Tel Aviv with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.
During their meeting, Mr. Gallant warned that Israel’s fight with Hamas “will require a period of time — it will last more than several months, but we will win and we will destroy them”.
Speaking in Washington, U.S. President Joe Biden urged Israel to take more care to protect civilians in Gaza.
“I want them to be focused on how to save civilian lives — not stop going after Hamas, but be more careful,” said Mr. Biden, whose government has provided Israel with billions of dollars in military aid.
White House spokesman John Kirby, meanwhile, said Washington was “not dictating terms” to Israel and that the timeline given by Gallant was “consistent” with what Israeli officials had previously said.
Mr Netanyahu on Thursday vowed to carry on “until victory”, and Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said the war would continue “with or without international support”.
Mr Sullivan on Friday will head to the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Ramallah for talks with Palestinian Authority leaders, a US official said on condition of anonymity.
The West Bank, which is ruled by the Palestinian Authority (PA), has seen a surge in violence since October 7.
There, the Palestinian health ministry said 11 people had been killed since the Israeli military launched a raid in the city of Jenin and its refugee camp earlier this week.
The war in Gaza has led to increased popular support for Hamas in the West Bank, further weakening the internationally recognized PA.
Model and actress Saheefa Jabbar Khattak has shared details of her ongoing struggle with poor mental health. In a heartfelt video, she talked about vulnerability, battles with depression, and how unkind the world can be. Saheefa stressed the importance of kindness and understanding.
She bravely shared a distressing moment when she told a friend that she felt suicidal after taking 13 pills. Thankfully, her friend intervened and prevented a potential tragedy.
During the emotional video, Saheefa tearfully recounted her feelings of despair, stating, “It is scary and painful. I thought when Khizer would come here, I would feel better, but nothing happened.”
Saheefa highlighted the challenges of sharing personal experiences on a public platform. She emphasized the importance of breaking the silence on mental health issues in a world that can be disturbing and traumatizing.
Fans and well-wishers flooded social media with messages of support for Saheefa, urging her to stay strong. Many expressed love and unwavering support, emphasizing the need for empathy and understanding when it comes to mental health issues.
