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Tag: Pakistan

  • China urges Pak for ‘practical measures’ after suicide attack kills two in Gwadar

    China urges Pak for ‘practical measures’ after suicide attack kills two in Gwadar

    The Chinese Embassy in Pakistan on Saturday strongly condemned a suicide attack targeting a vehicle carrying Chinese nationals in Balochistan’s Gwadar district on Friday, asking Pakistan “to take practical and effective measures” to prevent recurrence of such incidents in the future, reported Dawn.


    At least two children were killed and three people were injured when a suicide bomber blew himself near the vehicle at around 7pm on Friday.

    In its statement, the Chinese Embassy demanded Pakistan to properly treat the wounded and conduct a thorough investigation on the attack, and severely punish the perpetrators.”

    It also extended “its sincere sympathies to the injured of both countries” and expressed its deep condolences to the victims in Pakistan.

    “At the same time, relevant departments at all levels in Pakistan must take practical and effective measures to accelerate, to implement strengthened whole-process security measures and upgrade security cooperation mechanism to ensure that similar incidents will not happen again,” the embassy said.

    Previously, on July 14, nine Chinese nationals and three Pakistanis lost their lives. Chinese workers and accompanying Pakistani staff were proceeding to their workplace for an ongoing project, as per a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA).

    After initially suggesting that the incident was an accident, the government earlier this month said a suicide bomber had attacked the bus which was carrying Chinese workers to the under-construction Dasu dam.

  • Atif, Hania and Kubra start shooting for ‘Sang-e-Mah’ in Islamabad

    The stellar ensemble cast of ‘Sang-e-Mah’ has started shooting in Islamabad, a sequel of the 2016 blockbuster, ‘Sang-e-Mar Mar’. Directed by Saife Hassan the drama starred Nauman Ijaz, Sania Saeed, Kubra Khan, Mikaal Zulfiqar, and Omair Rana in leading roles.

    While the makers are keeping Atif and Hania’s look under-wraps, a few behind the scene pictures has gone viral on social media, featuring Kubra Khan, Nadia Afgan, Nouman Ijaz and Shamil Khan.

    Atif Aslam will make his small screen debut in the drama. Hania Aamir has been roped into play the parallel female lead.  It is basically a trilogy series with Sang-e-Mah, and Sang-e- Siyah in the pipeline.

    The drama depicted the story of a Pathan family and took the audience on a roller coaster ride of emotions. Even though people weren’t so happy with the ending of the drama yet, it achieved success and critical acclaim.

  • Pakistani female reporter updates live from Afghanistan

    Pakistani female reporter updates live from Afghanistan


    A female reporter, Sumaira Khan is reporting live from Afghanistan for a private Pakistani English News channel, Indus News.

    Sumaira, while giving updates, said that there is still chaos at Kabul International Airport. Afghans without documents are trying to leave the country while the Taliban have been blocking Afghans trying to flee.

    The Taliban took over the country rapidly. They declared that the war in Afghanistan is over after taking control of the Presidential Palace in Kabul on August 15 while the president of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani fled the country.

    Sumaira is reportedly the only Pakistani female reporter reporting from Afghanistan.

  • ‘Ayesha ka dukh nazar nahi aa raha’: Sanam, Mathira think Ayesha is ‘cashing on the unfortunate incident’

    ‘Ayesha ka dukh nazar nahi aa raha’: Sanam, Mathira think Ayesha is ‘cashing on the unfortunate incident’

    Lollywood actresses Sanam Chaudhry and Mathira have expressed their doubts on Ayesha Akram’s conduct post the heinous harassment incident at the ‘Minar-e-Pakistan’.

    The Meer Abru diva recently took to her Instagram stories to share her doubts on the entire controversy.

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    The Mere Meherbaan star received flak for her statements by netizens and she responded to the backlash.

    The Blind Love star was quick to express her stance on the matter.

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    A recently surfaced video shows a woman being sexually assaulted by a large group of men at Minar-e-Pakistan in Lahore on 14 August, Pakistan’s independence day. The incident has been confirmed after a First Information Report (FIR) was registered.

    The FIR was registered under sections 354 A, 382, 147 and 149 of the Pakistan Penal Code against hundreds of unidentified persons for assaulting and stealing from a female TikToker and at least five other people, Dawn has reported.

  • ‘Khauf hai’: Ayeza Khan reveals her feelings

    ‘Khauf hai’: Ayeza Khan reveals her feelings

    Actor Ayeza Khan took to her Instagram stories to express her disappointment and anger on the ‘Minar-e-Pakistan’ incident. The Pyaray Afzal star penned an extensive note to share her thoughts on the situation.

    A recently surfaced video shows a woman being sexually assaulted by a large group of men at Minar-e-Pakistan in Lahore on 14 August, Pakistan’s independence day. The incident has been confirmed after a First Information Report (FIR) was registered.

    The FIR was registered under sections 354 A, 382, 147 and 149 of the Pakistan Penal Code against hundreds of unidentified persons for assaulting and stealing from a female TikToker and at least five other people, Dawn has reported.

    The Chupke Chupke diva recently celebrated completing 9.8 Million followers.

    On the work front, Ayeza can be seen in Laapata opposite Ali Rehman Khan and Sarah Khan.

  • PM Imran discusses Afghanistan with Germany and UK

    PM Imran discusses Afghanistan with Germany and UK

    Prime Minister Imran Khan Tuesday held discussions with German, Danish, and United Kingdom (UK) leaders regarding the situation in Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover.

    Prime Minister Khan received telephone calls from his British counterpart Boris Johnson and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

    PM Khan stressed that safety and security, as well as protection of the rights of all Afghans, were critically important. PM Khan underlined that an inclusive political settlement was the best way forward.

    Pakistan is reaching out to all Afghan leaders. The international community must also stay engaged, particularly to support the people of Afghanistan economically, added the premier.

    PM Khan highlighted the positive role that Pakistan played in facilitating the evacuation of diplomatic personnel and staff of international organisations and others from Afghanistan.

    He also highlighted the extensive measures taken by Pakistan to contain the Covid-19, noted that the relevant data had been shared with the UK side, and called for the removal of Pakistan from the Red List.

    In conversation with Merkel, the prime minister expressed satisfaction at regular high-level exchanges between Pakistan and Germany. He said Pakistan looked forward to enhancing collaboration with Germany in all areas of mutual interest.

  • Pakistan bonds fall as investors brace for Afghanistan fallout

    Pakistan bonds fall as investors brace for Afghanistan fallout

    Pakistan’s international bonds came under selling pressure on Monday as market investors brace themselves for the fallout from the crisis in Afghanistan.

    Afghanistan’s US-backed government collapsed over the weekend as Taliban fighters seized the capital, Kabul, following a stunning advance that had seen the Islamist group take over most of the country.

    The likely evacuation of refugees from Afghanistan could strain the finances of neighbouring countries, fund managers say, and there is also concern over the potential for ‘western retaliation’ against Pakistan for providing a safe haven for the Taliban.

    As per a report of Financial Times, Pakistan’s dollar-denominated bonds fell by about one per cent to just above 100 cents on the dollar, with some longer dated issues sinking to their lowest prices in nine months. The yield on a 10-year bond issued in April this year, which moves in the opposite direction to the debt’s price, climbed by about a quarter of a percentage point to roughly 7.3 per cent.

    The country’s $8.8bn of dollar bonds have now fallen by about four per cent since mid-June.

    “There are a few concerns driving this move,” said head of emerging market debt at Legal and General Investment Management, Uday Patnaik to Financial Times. “One is the refugee crisis — clearly Pakistan is going to be affected by that, and that’s going to be expensive.”

    “A lot of people are also debating the possibility of formal or informal sanctions on Pakistan for working with the Taliban. We’ve been underweight for the last couple months because of these issues but like everyone else we didn’t expect this to happen so quickly.”

    Even prior to the recent sell-off, Pakistan already had some of the highest bond yields among emerging economies that are not considered to be at immediate risk of default. Its debt is rated B minus by Standard & Poor’s and by Fitch.

    The market’s focus has fallen on Afghanistan’s neighbours as the country itself does not have any internationally traded debt, with the ousted government having received most of its financing from western governments and other donors such as the World Bank and the IMF.

    The Current reached out to Chairman of KASB Securities, Ali Farid Khwaja for a word on this situation and said: “Global investors are and will be concerned about the spillover impact of the fall of Kabul and takeover by Taliban. Of course, they will need assurance that such a thing cannot happen in Pakistan and a Taliban government in Afghanistan will not destabilize Pakistan. The jury is still out. I think there are two important aspects of this. First the world would want to see whether Pakistan is standing by them on the values they claim to preach and promote, or do we share the ethos with Taliban. So far, from the commentary it seems that it is the latter. Except for a few media celebrities most politicians seems to be pleased with the Taliban victory. This alone is a bit disturbing purely from an image perspective. Secondly, we need to prove that the wall we have made on the border with Afghanistan will be strong enough to keep Taliban out of Pakistan. Global markets are sensitive to sentiment and hence managing perception is very important,” he added.

    While a Bloomberg journalist in Pakistan, Faseeh Mangi has also shed some light on the situation of Pakistan’s dollar bonds after Taliban takeover in Afghanistan.

  • Karachi traffic plan for Muharram 2021

    Karachi traffic plan for Muharram 2021

    The Karachi traffic police released the traffic diversion plan for the Muharram procession that will begin from Nishtar Park and end at the Imambargah Hussainian Iranian at Kharadar, Salis Bin Parwaiz reported for The News.

    The traffic diversion plan is for Muharram 8, 9, and 10 when there will be different Muharram processions in the city.

    On Muharram 8, the procession will pass through Sir Shah Nawaz Bhutto Road, Father Jaminis Road, Mehfil-e-Shah Khurasan, MA Jinnah Road, Mansfield Street, Preedy Street, Tibet Chowk, MA Jinnah Road, Chand Bibi Chowk, Nishtar Road, Nigar Cinema, Altaf Hussain Road, Denso Hall, MA Jinnah Road, Kharadar police station and Bombay Bazaar to reach the Imambargah.

    Muharram 9: a procession will start from Liaquatabad via Imambargah Martin Road to the Nishtar Park where a Majlis will be held. After the Majlis, the procession will start from Nishtar Park in the afternoon and then proceed to the Imambargah Hussain Iranian, Kharadar.

    Read More: Police arrest man for stealing mobile phones during Muharram procession

    The route will include Nishtar Park, Sir Shah Nawaz Bhutto Road, Father Jaminis Road, Mehfil-e-Shah Khurasan, MA Jinnah Road, Mansfield Street, Preedy Street, Tibet Chowk, MA Jinnah Road, Boulton Market, Bombay Bazaar, Kharadar, Nawab Mahabbat Khanji Road and Hussainian Iranian Imambargah.

    When the processions will start from Nishtar Park, all traffic coming from the city side will be diverted towards Soldier Bazaar Road (Bahadur Yar Jang Road), Coast Guard, Anklesaria Chowk to Jubilee or Nishtar Road.

    Traffic coming from Nazimabad will be diverted from Lasbela towards Nishtar Road and the zoological garden to reach their destinations. The traffic coming from the Liaquatabad side will be diverted to Martin Road towards the jail side. 

    These vehicles will be allowed to proceed to Jail Road, Jamshed Road, Dadabhoy Noorji Road, Kashmir Road, Shahrah-e-Quaideen and Sharae Faisal to reach their destination.

    All traffic coming from Stadium Road side will continue through New MA Jinnah Road. These vehicles will be diverted on Dadabhoi Noorji Road towards Kashmir Road, Society Light Signal, Shahrah-e-Quaideen and Sharea Faisal.

    The traffic coming from the Super Highway and Gulberg side will be diverted from Liaquatabad No 10 towards Nazimabad No 2 and will proceed using Habib Bank Flyover, Estate Avenue Road and Sher Shah to Mauripur Road.

    To return, these vehicles will take the same route. All kinds of traffic coming from the National Highway side will be diverted from Rashid Minhas Road towards Stadium Road, Sir Shah Suleman Road, Hassan Square, Liaquatabad No 10 and Nazimabad No 2, and will proceed via Habib Bank Flyover, Estate Avenue Road, Shershah to Mauripur Road. For the return journey, these vehicles will adopt the same route.

    Traffic will not be allowed to proceed along the route of the procession from Gurumandir. These vehicles will be diverted to Bahadur Yar Jang Road. All the vehicular traffic coming from Shahrah-e-Quaideen will not be permitted to proceed towards Numaish, except the participants of the procession and those with stickers on their windscreens allotted from the traffic police, and diverted from the Society signal.

    Traffic on MA Jinnah Road will not be allowed from Preedy Street, Aga Khan-III Road and Mansfield Street to proceed towards Saddar.

    No traffic will be allowed to pass MA Jinnah Road-Preedy Street junction until the procession has passed the intersection. All kinds of traffic coming from the zoo and Aga Khan-III Road will be allowed till Anklesaria Hospital.

  • Pakistan wants an all-inclusive settlement in Afghanistan: NSC

    Pakistan wants an all-inclusive settlement in Afghanistan: NSC

    A meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) was held on Monday to deliberate on the emerging situation in Afghanistan. The NSC meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan and attended by senior cabinet members and services chiefs.


    The participants were briefed on the latest developments in Afghanistan and their possible impact on Pakistan and the region.

    “The NSC noted that Pakistan was a victim of the decades-long conflict in Afghanistan and therefore desired peace and stability. Participants reiterated that Pakistan remains committed to an inclusive political settlement as the way forward representing all Afghan ethnic groups. It was reaffirmed that Pakistan would continue to work with the international community and all Afghan stakeholders to facilitate an inclusive political settlement in the country,” read a press release issued after the meeting.

    “The NSC called on all parties in Afghanistan to respect the rule of law, protect the fundamental human rights of all Afghans, and ensure that Afghan soil is not used by any terrorist organisation/group against any country.”

    PM Khan said all possible facilities be made available to repatriate Pakistanis, diplomats, journalists, and staff of international organisations seeking to leave Afghanistan. The committee reiterated Pakistan’s stance that the conflict in Afghanistan never had a military solution.

    “The ideal time to end the conflict through negotiations might have been when the United States (US)/ North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) troops were at maximum military strength in Afghanistan. Continuation of foreign military presence for a longer duration now would not have yielded a different outcome. Therefore, endorsement by the Biden administration of the previous US administration’s decision of troops withdrawal is indeed a logical conclusion to this conflict,” added the press release.

    “It is now time for the international community to work together to ensure an inclusive political settlement for long-term peace, security, and development of Afghanistan/ the region.”

  • Suspect involved in rape of a dead body killed in police encounter

    Suspect involved in rape of a dead body killed in police encounter

    Police have killed a man accused of raping a dead body of a teenage girl in Thatta district, in an alleged encounter, ARY News reported.

    As per reports, the Sindh police had earlier detained accused Rafique Chandio for committing an abominable act.

    “Accused Rafique Chandio tried to escape from police detention. He opened fire at policemen at Babra Mori near Gharo, and was killed in the counter fire,” police said.

    SSP Thatta said that the encounter happened at Babra Mori. “This man had become a symbol of terror for the local people,” SSP said. “Some political people were exerting pressure on the family of the girl and police to avoid action against him,” SSP said.

    Read More: Nowshera man arrested for trying to rape five-year-old granddaughter

    Special Assistant to CM Sindh Sadiq Memon on Saturday confirmed that the police has arrested the man who allegedly dug up a teenage girl’s dead body and sexually assaulted it.

    The 14-year-old girl’s body was taken out of her grave after it was buried at a local graveyard on Friday. The body was then raped.

    The man dumped the body in the bushes after sexually abusing it and ran away.