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Tag: Pakistan

  • Sanitary pads, rifles, bullets: Here are the things that Punjab police found at Imran Khan’s house

    Sanitary pads, rifles, bullets: Here are the things that Punjab police found at Imran Khan’s house

    The Punjab Police on Saturday raided the house of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan shortly after he left for Islamabad to appear before a court in the Toshkhana case.

    Now, the police has left the area and the operation is reportedly over.

    According to media reports, several things have been discovered by the police at Khan’s residence.

    Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah claimed that police found 16 rifles, arms, bombs and a bomb-making factory in Zaman Park.

    He said that Inspector General (IG) will bring all proofs before the nation.

    In a video, which is being shared on Twitter, police can be seen picking up sanitary pads.

    Moreover, the bottles that were used to make petrol bombs have been found along with marbles, slingshots, five kalashnikovs and bullets, reports Geo News.

    Reacting to this news, PTI’s Fawad Chaudhry took a jibe at the police and said that “Cannon, tank shells, anti-aircraft and cocaine, and petrol bombs were recovered from Imran Khan’s residence. But Imran Khan took tanks and cannons with him.”

    To refute the claims made by the government, he in another tweet claimed “that the police has taken food and drinks from the fridge and not even left the biscuits.”

    According to him, a hundred thousand watches have been also taken from the pockets of the employees.

  • Pakistani-born businessman receives MBE from Prince William

    Pakistani-born British entrepreneur and restaurateur Suleman Raza was awarded the MBE by Prince William for his services to the business and philanthropy sector in Britain. Raza revealed on Twitter that he was happy to witness immigrants coming to Britain and becoming successful.

    According to his Medium article, Raza hails from Rawalpindi, but had moved to London where he started working as a chef in an eatery. He went on to open a restaurant in Tooting where he served Pakistani food.

    Raza also launched the project ‘No One Eats Alone’ in 2019 to provide meals to elderly and homeless communities during Christmas. He received public praise for his campaign “One Million Meals” to support National Health Service (NHS) workers in hospitals during the pandemic by providing them with hot meals.

  • ‘Mera Jism Meri Marzi is more than just being about clothes’: Amna Ilyas

    Actor Amna Ilyas was a guest on “The Talk Talk Show’ where she opened up about being a feminist, and clarified the misinformation around the Aurat March slogan ‘Mera Jism Meri Marzi’.

    When the placcard was raised at the 2018 Aurat March, it caused outrage after many right-wing critics said that the chant supports promiscuity and challenges family values in Pakistan. Many religious clerics had used the placard as justification to call ‘Aurat March’ un-Islamic and accused it of promoting a Western agenda in Pakistan.

    Many feminist activists have defended the slogan for protecting women’s bodily autonomy, and now Ilyas has also done the same, as she explained that the slogan ‘Mera Jism Meri Marzi’ was more than about clothes, it’s about protecting the rights of women:

    “It’s about having body autonomy rights and consent. It’s about harassment, domestic violence, and concepts like, ‘No one has the right to touch me without my consent, even if I’m married to you’.”

    Ilyas went on to debunk the stereotype associated with feminism that women who support this ideology are promoting vulgarity, when in reality the ideology supports the rights of women to have the same opportunities as men:

    “Whenever I talk about feminism, people always object by saying ‘Oh, Amna is bold, of course, she will spread vulgarity as she’s from the industry, she wants all our daughters to be like her’. No, I don’t want that, I only do what I want to for myself.”

    “When we speak of equal rights, it’s about having the same opportunities to thrive in my career as the man beside me. If you’re a father of four children who excel in your profession, why can’t I do the same? Honestly, it’s not about whether you’re getting permission to wear jeans or not. What we truly need, is the space to work in a cerebral capacity,” she explained.

    Watch the complete interview here:

  • Aima Baig files Rs100 million lawsuit against FMH Pakistan for spreading misinformation

    Aima Baig files Rs100 million lawsuit against FMH Pakistan for spreading misinformation

    Singer Aima Baig has shared on Instagram that she was suing the online celebrity tabloid ‘FMH Magazine’ for spreading misinformation and fake news about her for the sake of likes and traction.

    “This is high time when we should stand against yellow journalism and fake reporting (which is only done for the sake of comments and likes). I have had it enough so here I am standing up for myself and many others to become their next prey.”

    The ‘Washmallay’ singer then shared clips of the defamation notice she has sent to FMH Pakistan for posting a story that was “false, untrue, malicious and highly defamatory.”

    In the next clip, the legal notice read:
    “Being a digital and print media/ news company, you are required under the law to be truthful, honest, correct and highly responsible for the public posts/ stories/ statements / articles/ news you publish…It is evident that the scandalous and false and defamatory statement you have attributed to my client is explicitly intended to harm her reputation and to malign her before the public, for the monetary gain you are getting from clicks, views, comments and shares of your scandalous news..”

    In the last clip, the news organization was directed to pay Rs 100 million for the damages made by their misinforming post, as well as upload a written apology within 48 hours on the receipt of this notice.

  • Pakistan’s proposal to increase number of beneficiaries for BISP rejected by IMF

    Pakistan’s proposal to increase number of beneficiaries for BISP rejected by IMF

    The International Monetary Fund (IMF) rejected the Pakistani government’s proposal to increase the number of beneficiaries of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) and expand its scope to cover 20-30 per cent of the population living in poverty.

    The proposal aimed to provide quarterly stipends to those below the poverty line. While the IMF approved an increase in the BISP allocation by Rs40 billion, increasing it from Rs360 billion to Rs400 billion for the current fiscal year for 8.9 million beneficiaries, the proposal to expand coverage could not be implemented due to a shortage of budgetary resources.

    According to sources, the IMF refused to increase the Proxy Mean Test (PMT) ceiling for enhancing coverage and providing monthly stipends to around 30 per cent of the population living below the poverty line, citing a lack of budgetary resources. The Finance Ministry official stated that there was no disagreement, and the government has been providing a quarterly stipend of Rs7,000 to 8.9 million beneficiaries.

    The IMF staff suggested increasing tax revenues and abolishing un-targeted subsidies but did not initially oppose the idea of expanding coverage. The IMF high-ups recommended using the National Socio-Economic Registry (NSER) of the BISP to provide targeted subsidies on electricity, gas, and provision of POL for motorcycles and small vehicles.

    According to Geo, different proposals to start a targeted subsidy mechanism were discussed but ultimately dropped due to various reasons. The weekly Sensitive Price Index (SPI) touched 45.64 per cent on a weekly basis, and Consumer Price Index (CPI) crossed 31.5 per cent on a monthly basis in February 2023. Both the CPI and SPI are expected to rise further in the weeks and months ahead of the current fiscal year.

    To protect vulnerable segments from falling below the poverty line, there is no other option but to implement a targeted subsidy mechanism over the short and medium-term period. Pakistan and the IMF will need to place a target subsidy mechanism, given the possibility of a new IMF program after the expiration of the current one under the Extended Fund Facility in June 2023.

  • Urwa Hocane speaks out after being labelled as ‘difficult to work with’ by director Nadeem Baig

    Urwa Hocane speaks out after being labelled as ‘difficult to work with’ by director Nadeem Baig

    Nadeem Baig made national headlines when, on talk show ‘The Fourth Umpire’, he was asked which actress was the most difficult to work with on set, and he revealed it was Urwa Hocane.

    Hocane and Baig was worked together in ‘Punjab Nahi Jaungi’ in 2017.

    Now, Hocane has responded in a post on Friday where she addressed the allegation that she was ‘difficult’ by revealing her side of the story:

    “Nadeem bhai and I have only done one project together and had one difference of opinion about the song ‘Lak Hilna’ where we eventually went with his aesthetics, choice of song and dance step as I sensed he was unwilling to hold a discussion probably because as a society we have become so intolerant to difference of opinion, specially when it’s a woman.”

    Hocane revealed that despite being trolled heavily for the past few days since Baig’s comment on the show, she had never thrown him under the bus out of respect for him.

    “Despite being extremely trolled for the song I never threw my director under the bus out of respect for him. I am so hurt with how my personality is being misrepresented publicly merely for holding a healthy discussion on set which I believe is a basis to team work while in all these years it was never pointed out to me in person.”

    You can read her complete statement here:

    Other celebrities had applauded Hocane’s post, including her husband, Farhan Saeed, who had writtten:

    “Tu shaheen hai basera kur paharon ki chatanon par ❤️”

    Nadia Jamil applauded Hocane for her ‘values and authenticity’

    Hocane’s sister, Mawra, also commented that she was proud of the strength and grace her sister had shown

  • Clash of the titans as Qalandars and Sultans clash in PSL final

    Clash of the titans as Qalandars and Sultans clash in PSL final

    On the final day of Pakistan Super League, (PSL) Season 8, the two best teams of the event, defending champions Lahore Qalandars and Multan Sultans, will clash for the title.

    The PSL final will be played between Lahore Qalandars and Multan Sultans for the second consecutive year.

    The winner will be crowned champions for the second time, but the Qalandars could become the first team to successfully defend the title.

    Apart from the covered trophy, the champion team will get prize money of Rs12 crore while the runners-up will get Rs4 crore, 80 lacs.

    Tomorrow lahore Qalandars brilliantly chase the and knocked out Zalmi ruthlessly

    Zalmi give the the target of 172 Lahore Qalandars chase the Target and step in to the finals to clash the horns with Multan Sultans again.
    “May the best Team win”

  • Short-term inflation skyrockets to record 45.64% in Pakistan: What’s causing the surge?

    Short-term inflation skyrockets to record 45.64% in Pakistan: What’s causing the surge?

    The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) has released data revealing that short-term inflation based on the Sensitive Price Index (SPI) rose to a record 45.64 per cent for the combined income group on a year-on-year basis for the week ending March 16.

    This increase was driven by the consistent rise in the prices of essential commodities. However, on a week-on-week basis, short-term inflation increased by 0.96 per cent due to the rising cost of tomatoes, potatoes, cooking oil and fruits.

    The SPI is expected to intensify further as the full impact of depreciation, an increase in petroleum products, a hike in general sales tax and higher energy costs has yet to be reflected in official data. Commodity prices are likely to increase rapidly with a spike in demand. The year-on-year SPI surged to 45.5 per cent during the week ending September 1, 2022, and stayed above 40 per cent for the first time since August 18 last year when the reading was 42.31 per cent.

    Of the 51 items in the SPI basket, prices of 28 items soared, while those of 11 items decreased, and rates of 12 items remained unchanged. During the week under review, the prices of onions, cigarettes, gas charges for Q1, diesel, tea Lipton, petrol, rice irri-6/9, rice basmati broken, bananas, eggs, pulse moong, wheat flour and bread increased the most over the same week a year ago.

    On a week-on-week basis, the biggest change was observed in the prices of tomatoes, tea Lipton, potatoes, bananas, sugar, wheat flour, cooking oil 5 litre, vegetable ghee 2.5 Kg, lawn, diesel, shirting, and petrol. Products whose prices saw the highest decline over the previous week were onions, chicken, garlic, pulse masoor, eggs, LPG, vegetable ghee 1 Kg, pulse gram, pulse mash, pulse moong, and mustard oil.

    The government has been taking strict measures, such as hikes in fuel and power tariffs, withdrawal of subsidies, market-based exchange rate, and higher taxation, under the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme to generate revenue for bridging the fiscal deficit, which may result in slow economic growth and higher inflation in the coming months. The increase in the policy rate to 20 per cent, general sales tax rate from 17 per cent to 18 per cent on most items, and to 25 per cent on more than 800 imported food and non-food items will further increase the retail prices of consumer goods.

  • Pakistan receives $500 million in second disbursement from Chinese bank ICBC

    Pakistan receives $500 million in second disbursement from Chinese bank ICBC

    On Friday, Pakistan received a sum of $500 million, which is the second disbursement of the $1.3 billion facility from the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC). Senator Ishaq Dar, the Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, announced this development on his Twitter handle, adding that the funds will help shore up Pakistan’s forex reserves.

    The Chinese bank made this critical disbursement after Pakistan completed the necessary documentation. Earlier in March, the ICBC approved a rollover of a $1.3 billion loan for Pakistan, following which the bank deposited $500 million, the first disbursement on March 4, which helped the foreign exchange reserves exceed $4 billion.

    Pakistan, which has been facing growing economic challenges such as high inflation, sliding forex reserves, a widening current account deficit, and a depreciating currency, has made payments of around $5.5 billion (excluding the $1 billion sukuk payment) to China Development Bank and ICBC, with $3.5 billion given to banks in other countries. To reduce the debt stock, Pakistan has been paying off debts in tranches, and now the country will receive the $1.3 billion back in three tranches.

    The current foreign exchange reserves of Pakistan stand at $4.3 billion as of March 10, which is barely enough for less than a month of imports, while the liquid foreign exchange reserves stand at around $9.8 billion, including $5.5 billion in net reserves held by commercial banks. According to a report published in The News, a Chinese bank has given assurances that it will provide another refinanced $500 million loan in the next few days, bringing the total of commercial loans up to $1.7 billion out of the total committed amount of $2 billion.

    According to The News, Pakistan has also requested a rollover on the Chinese SAFE deposit of $2 billion within the ongoing month. These actions, such as the refinancing of commercial loans and rollovers on SAFE deposits, are pre-requisites for moving towards the signing of a staff-level agreement between the IMF and the Pakistani side. Currently, Pakistani authorities are waiting for confirmation from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar, as well as from the World Bank and the AIIB, to fulfill their external financing needs of $6 billion until the end of June 2023, and the situation remains tense.

  • 2 underaged girls married off by jigra as tribal fine in Jacobabad

    A jirga in Thull, Jacobabad decided to marry off two minor girls as punishment for their parents’ elopment. According to Aaj News, both the girls are seven years old.

    The jirga had decided on the case of Hajira Mangi, a 30-years-old widow and mother, had eloped with a man, Dadu Mangi, who was also married and had daughters. They were accused of committing karo kari.

    In order to appease Hajira’s family who said that she had gotten married without their permission, village head Zukfiqar Khan Sarqi was asked to step in and resolve the issue. It was decided that both Hajira’s and Dadu’s daughters from their previous marriages would be wedded off to Hajira’s brothers. Furthermore, the couple were ordered to pay Rs 200,000 as a fine. They paid Rs 50,000 and promised to pay the rest in installments.

    According to Aaj News, although jirgas were banned by the Supreme Court in 2019, there has not been a police case filed against the village head or the family for this forced marriage.