The Metrological Department has predicted rain in areas of Sindh and Balochistan.
Punjab is to have overcast conditions in the plain regions but it will largely be covered with smog and fog earlier in the day.
Tharparker, Umarkot, Badeen, Mirpurkhas, and Thatta will face heavy rain with thunderstorms. Light rain is possible in Karachi and Jamshoro as well.
The Meteorological Department has said that a system of winds has entered the country from the west which will cause gales in the western and southern regions of Balochistan along with thunderstorms.
Pakistan is poised to secure funds amounting to $1.5 billion from global lenders, contingent on the approval of the loan tranche under the $3 billion Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), as highlighted by Dr Shamshad Akhtar, the caretaker finance minister, in a recent interview with a local news channel.
It’s noteworthy that the IMF granted preliminary approval on November 15, 2023, for the disbursement of the upcoming loan tranche within the programme.
Upon receiving approval, Pakistan will gain access to SDR 528 million, equivalent to approximately $700 million. This will contribute to the cumulative disbursements under the program reaching almost $1.9 billion.
The agreement underscores the authorities’ commitment to advancing planned fiscal consolidation, expediting cost-reducing reforms in the energy sector, completing the transition to a market-determined exchange rate, and pursuing reforms in state-owned enterprises and governance.
These measures aim to attract investment, support job creation, and simultaneously enhance social assistance.
Nathan Porter remarked, “Anchored by the stabilization policies under the SBA, a nascent recovery is underway, supported by international partners and indications of improved confidence.”
He added that the steadfast execution of the FY24 budget, ongoing adjustments of energy prices, and renewed inflows into the foreign exchange (FX) market have alleviated fiscal and external pressures.
Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) has lodged a complaint against the ex-CEO of the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) for acquiring the position on the basis of a fake PhD degree, reports Geo.
Sheikh Akhtar Hussain remained CEO DRAP from 2018 till 2019. FIA has begun searching for Hussain to investigate the matter
The findings were discovered by the anti-corruption circle in FIA.
In an interview with Urdu Point, the head of the family whose six members were killed in an accident after being hit by an underage driver, Rafaqat Ali, has said that he’s facing difficulty in seeking justice.
Calling the incident “target killing”, Rafaqat recounts the accident and the harassment his family faced by the teenager driving the car. He clarified that nobody has threatened him but the cold behaviour of the police is repulsive. Earlier, in an interview which was conducted a day after the incident, he claimed that he had been receiving threats.
He went on to explain his dejection seeing police siding with the accused as in the court hearing, Afnan was brought late and was also given a mobile phone(iPhone) by his relatives. He added that he was not even shown the reason for remand by the police even though he is the petitioner. Rafaqat Ali relayed that the investigation officer requested the judge to issue a judicial remand as both the alleged culprit and his car are in possession of the police. The deputy of the investigation officer also misbehaved with him when he asked for the digital copy of the judicial remand, saying, “Mein ap kay baap ka naukar hoon.”
This repelled the father so much that he even thought of “withdrawing” altogether since nothing is in his favour and the opposite party seemed stronger than him. He took the matter to DIG Investigation Imran Kishore who called the Investigation Officer Umar and asked him about the case who said that the judicial remand had been issued by the judge to Kishore and asked how is this possible when it was a case registered under section 302(a constitutional clause that governs punishment for murder).
Kishore brought up the matter of misbehaviour with him and suspended him instantly, stating that the job of the investigation officer is to serve the petitioner, not the suspect. He also reprimanded another officer for negligence. Now the matter of investigation lies with DSP Kahna Police Station.
Who would have thought that at a time when Pakistan is seeing discrimination and hatred displayed openly for the vulnerable Afghan refugees, we get to watch a television show displaying cultural solidarity and harmony in such a beautiful manner? When Green Entertainment announced ‘Kabli Pulao’ among their list of to-be-released dramas, many were curious about whether it would follow the lines of the misogynist trope involving an old man marrying a younger woman, given the wide age gap between the main lead actors Sabeen Farooq and Mohammed Ehteshamuddin. But, this is a show every person needs to watch to accept our cultural differences, and that no one is an ‘illegal alien’.
The drama centres around elderly bachelor Hajji Mushtaq, who spent his life caring for his sisters and their children, and is lovingly referred to as ‘baray abba’ by them. When he meets Barbeena while travelling in Mardan, her brother begs him to marry her to protect her from falling into the hands of her abusive brother-in-law. Hajji Mushtaq reluctantly agrees to do so.
Their marriage is obviously not met with approval at first. Barbeena’s entry into Mushtaq’s family is met with scorn and racism. Mushtaq’s sisters Chammo and Zubaida at first suspect she is a spy, sent to take over their brother’s wealth and force them out of the family. Barbeena has to pretend she is a newly hired maid, and after a feud reveals that she is actually Mushtaq’s wife, she is met with accusations of shaming the honour of the family.
But the willingness displayed by Barbeena to win over the family, and especially how she brings joy into Hajji Mushtaq’s life, and then slowly for the rest of the family members, is something no other drama has ever displayed. It is Barbeena’s Afghan background that helps her win over everyone else. In episode four, the family fawns over her roghni naans and her kabli pulao. Barbeena bonds with the younger children by singing Afghan songs, sharing her traditional dresses and dancing with them. Soon she partners with Hajji Mushtaq to set up her business selling the kabli pulao to customers.
It was some time ago when I was re-watching episode three, where the family hounds Hajji Mustaq and begs him to send Barbeena away. Ironically at this point, there was a heartbreaking video going viral on the internet featuring a young Afghan boy with tears in his eyes saying goodbye to his classmates as his family was being sent back to Afghanistan. Since that moment, we’ve seen consistently how much burden the term ‘illegal alien’ carries, the way it strips a human of their humanity and dignity.
Your Namak (Salt) was enough. Thanks everyone. An Afghan student says goodbye to his classmates. pic.twitter.com/DSg16wBeKv
Videos from Aurat March show how Afghan refugees were kept in cramped conditions, denied basic respect as their children were picked up by officers and ‘accidentally deported’ over racist assumptions. Irony lies in how this is the same country where ‘Kabuli Pulao’ was became one of the best television shows to come out this year, yet it’s sole inspiration, the Afghan refugees, are treated with such malice.
The enduring message of Barbeena’s resilience, and her blossoming relationship with Hajji Mushtaq, was that there is beauty in our cultural diversity. Barbeena’s uniqueness in her Afghan heritage, turned this drama into more than just a simple love story but a message on how Pakistani’s need to know more than ever to open up their hearts rather than shut them down. Accept our neighbours as our friends rather than turn them away because of our own internalised racism.
This message resonates with the horrific treatment of the Palestinians in Gaza, and how their oppression is justified with terms like ‘human animals’ and ‘barbarians’. Because now more than ever, us Pakistanis need to become the anti-thesis of hateful rhetoric and learn to hold those close who had no choice but to leave their homes in search of better opportunities.
All episodes of ‘Kabli Pulao’ are available to watch on Youtube.
As smog spreads across Punjab, causing a potential health hazard, the caretaker government of the province is considering artificial rain to combat the toxic pollution.
Cloud formation
To make artificial rain, there need to be clouds. Experts are saying that they can find these clouds and then use a process called cloud seeding to make it rain.
Cloud seeding is like giving clouds a little push to make them release rain. Scientists found out about the process in 1946, when they discovered that by using a special mix of silver iodide and dry ice, they could make clouds produce more ice and eventually rain.
Nowadays, we still use silver iodide and dry ice for cloud seeding, but we’ve gotten better at it. The meteorological department in Pakistan has already tried it out successfully. Other countries, like Gulf nations, also use artificial rain.
In the United Arab Emirates, scientists are trying a new method, using water-absorbing salt flares. These flares release tiny salt particles into the air, which activate the clouds and speed up the rain-making process. It’s like a high-tech way of helping nature create rain when it’s needed.
Why is artificial rain important?
Artificial rain is important because it can help clear out the smog in cities. When it rains, it washes away the pollutants in the air, making it easier for people to breathe and improving overall air quality. It’s a smart solution to a serious problem.
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari left the country for Dubai on Friday following what appears to be a dispute with his father.
Bilawal’s departure comes a day after his father, former President Asif Ali Zardari, said in an interview on Geo News that he was still training his son.
Bilawal left the country on a private flight. The party is yet to disclose the reason for his visit.
In a seeming act of defiance to his father, Bilawal changed his profile picture on X on Friday afternoon, to a photo with his mother Benazir Bhutto, the former Prime Minister and head of the PPP till her assassination in 2017.
The former president of Pakistan and Bilawal’s father, Asif Ali Zardari, during an exclusive interview with Hamid Mir on Geo News’ program “Capital Talk”, said that Bilawal is “inexperienced” and that it would take some time for him to gain more exposure, on Thursday.
“Bilawal is much more talented than I am, but he isn’t experienced,” he said.
The former president said the new generation has its own mindset and the right to express itself.
He further stated that if he tried to intervene in their affairs, it would just lead to more mess.
“If Bilawal says, ‘You do politics, I won’t’, then what can I do? People learn over time in politics. I have made several mistakes myself.”
Zardari also mentioned that Bilawal’s narrative would’ve been the same if we were doing business, “You [Zardari] don’t know anything. It’s the same in politics.”
Zardari said he is the president of the PPPP, which is authorised to allocate election tickets, while his son Bilawal is chairman of the PPP. “I allocate tickets,” he said.
After former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s ex-wife Reham Khan released a book in August 2018 detailing her tumultuous and short-lived marriage, Pakistani actress, Hajira Panezai, has made serious allegations against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman in her book, The News has reported.
Actress Hajira Khan’s memoir, titled “WHERE THE OPIUM GROWS: Surviving Pakistan as a Woman, an Actress And Knowing Imran Khan,” was published in America in 2014.
In the book, she reflects on her experiences with the PTI Chairman. The actress revealed that in her last book, many important things were deleted, but now she is going to publish a book with significant details.
She explained how she was chased by popular individuals, calling it a “dark experience”.
Panezai also claimed that her social media accounts were hacked by Imran Khan’s team, adding that she was forced to leave Pakistan as the PTI chairman was afraid of being exposed by her.
The actress worked with Geo in 2009, and appeared in a film titled Pinky Memsaab in 2018. Hajira Khan claimed that her book is based on true stories, while the book is being launched in Islamabad today.
Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has been campaigning across the country, touting his party as the solution to Pakistan’s ills, while also asking “old politicians (babay)” to sit back and allow the new generation to lead from the front in the elections slated to take place on February 8 next year.
The former president of Pakistan and Bilawal’s father, Asif Ali Zardari, during an exclusive interview with Hamid Mir on Geo News’ program “Capital Talk”, said that Bilawal is “inexperienced” and that it would take some time for him to gain more exposure.
“Bilawal is much more talented than I am, but he isn’t experienced,” he said.
Zardari said the new generation in every house says, “Dad, you don’t know anything”.
The former president said the new generation has its own mindset and the right to express itself.
He further stated that if he tried to intervene in their affairs, it would just lead to more mess.
“If Bilawal says, ‘You do politics, I won’t’, then what can I do? People learn over time in politics. I have made several mistakes myself.”
Zardari also mentioned that Bilawal’s narrative would’ve been the same if we were doing business, “You [Zardari] don’t know anything. It’s the same in politics.”
Zardari said during his tenures, there was no political prisoner as he had never resorted to revenge politics. “Every now and then, new allegations were leveled against me, but I never responded to them.”
Speaking about the different mindsets of the top PPP leaders, Zardari stated that there are two parties — PPP and Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP).
Zardari said he is the president of the PPPP, which is authorised to allocate election tickets, while his son Bilawal is chairman of the PPP. “I allocate tickets,” he said.
He also confirmed he has the authority to issue a ticket for Bilawal in the next polls.
Zardari said his party is actively campaigning because it is certain that general elections will take place on February 8, next year.
65-year-old Dilawar Khan from Dir Upper has enrolled in the first grade of a local primary school to improve his reading and writing skills.
Khan and his classmates have a stark age gap as the fellow students are younger than his grandchildren.
While talking to The Express Tribune, a local resident of the area revealed that, “Dilawar Khan, hailing from a financially struggling family in Dir Upper district, had to forego the luxury of a formal education in his youth to support his family. Yet, his passion for learning endured.”
Khan has now enrolled into the Government Primary School Khongai to learn to read and write.
“As a devout Muslim, I believe it is our responsibility to seek knowledge, and I firmly believe that age is merely a number, not a formidable barrier in this pursuit,” Dilawar states.
Despite his old age, he regularly attends school on time, ensuring punctuality as do his younger classmates.
