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Waqas Dar

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Blog Entries posted by Waqas Dar

  1. Waqas Dar
    RAWALPINDI: Pakistan on Wednesday registered a protest with United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) over recent unprovoked ceasefire violations (CFVs) and targeting of civilian population by Indian forces along the Line of Control (LoC), the Inter Services Public Relations said.
    The UN military observers were invited to the Pakistan Army’s General Headquarters (GHQ) to register Pakistan's protest over the ceasefire violations and targeting of civilian population by Indian Army on 10th, 13th and 16th May, 2017.
    Pakistani military officials informed the UN observers that Indian Army used both small and heavy caliber weapons, heavy mortars (122 mm) and field artillery in Sabzkot, Baroh, Tandar, Khuiratta, Kot Koterra and Karela sectors to target Pakistani villages.
    These ceasefire violations resulted in martyrdom of a civilian and injuries to 15 others, including women and children, the UNMOGIP members were told.
    Officials also apprised the UN observers of latest situation along LoC.


  2. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Wednesday summoned the Afghan Deputy Head of Mission to protest over the detention of two employees of Pakistan embassy in Afghanistan.
    According to sources, Afghanistan’s spy agency National Directorate of Security took into custody Protocol Assistant Hassan Khanzada and driver Syed Muneer Shah along with their car from a shop.
    The agency kept them in confinement for three hours, during which they were also tortured, sources said.
    The employees were finally released after Pakistan embassy’s efforts.
    The Afghan charge d'affaires was conveyed that the incident was a violation of the Vienna Convention of Diplomatic Relations (1961) and against the spirit of the cordial relations enjoyed by the two countries.
    The FO has asked the Afghan government to urgently look into the matter and ensure the security and safety of Pakistani diplomatic personnel so that no such incident takes place in future.
     


  3. Waqas Dar
    PESHAWAR: Commander Peshawar Corps Lt Gen Nazir Ahmed Butt visited forward areas of Kurram Agency and was given a detailed briefing on the prevailing security situation in the area, an Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement said.
    Commander laid the foundation stone of Army Public School (APS) Parachinar. For quality education of the locals, establishment of an APS was announced by COAS during his visit to the agency on Jan 22, 2017.

    Corps Commander also interacted with tribal elders of the area and lauded their efforts in maintaining tribal and sectarian harmony.
    Earlier on arrival at Parachinar, he was received by IGFC North Maj Gen Shaheen Mazhar Mahmood.


  4. Waqas Dar
    US President Donald Trump asked then-FBI Director James Comey to end the agency's investigation into ties between former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn and Russia, according to a source who has seen a memo written by Comey.
    The explosive new development on Tuesday followed a week of tumult at the White House after Trump fired Comey and then discussed sensitive national security information about Daesh with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
    The Comey memo, first reported by the New York Times, caused alarm on Capitol Hill and raised questions about whether Trump tried to interfere with a federal investigation.
    The White House quickly denied the report, saying in a statement it was "not a truthful or accurate portrayal of the conversation between the president and Mr. Comey."
    Comey wrote the memo after he met in the Oval Office with Trump, the day after the Republican president fired Flynn on Feb. 14 for misleading Vice President Mike Pence about the extent of his conversations last year with Russia's ambassador, Sergei Kislyak.
    “I hope you can let this go,” Trump told Comey, according to a source familiar with the contents of the memo.
    The New York Times said that during the Oval Office meeting, Trump condemned a series of government leaks to the news media and said the FBI director should consider prosecuting reporters for publishing classified information.
    Coming the day after charges that Trump disclosed sensitive information to the Russians last week, the new disclosure further rattled members of Congress.
    "The memo is powerful evidence of obstruction of justice and certainly merits immediate and prompt investigation by an independent special prosecutor," said Democratic US Senator Richard Blumenthal.
    Republican and Democratic lawmakers said they wanted to see the memo.
    Republican US Representative Jason Chaffetz, chairman of a House of Representatives oversight committee, said his committee "is going to get the Comey memo, if it exists. I need to see it sooner rather than later. I have my subpoena pen ready."
    In a letter to acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, Chaffetz set a deadline of May 24 for the FBI to produce "all memoranda, notes, summaries, and recordings referring or relating to any communications between Comey and the President."
    Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan backed Chaffetz.
    "We need to have all the facts, and it is appropriate for the House Oversight Committee to request this memo," said Ryan spokeswoman AshLee Strong.
    Legal questions
    Legal experts took a dim view of Trump's comments, as quoted in the memo.
    "For the president to tell the FBI to end a potential criminal investigation, that's obstruction of justice," said Erwin Chereminsky, a constitutional law professor and dean of University of California, Irvine School of Law. "This is what caused President Nixon to resign from office."
    But the experts said intent was a critical element of an obstruction of justice charge, and the president’s words could be subject to interpretation and possibly put into the context of other actions, like Comey’s termination.
    The fact that the president apparently said he “hoped” Comey would end the Flynn investigation rather than more directly ordering it “makes for a weaker but still viable case,” said Christopher Slobogin, a criminal law professor at Vanderbilt University Law School.
    Flynn's resignation came hours after it was reported that the Justice Department had warned the White House weeks earlier that Flynn could be vulnerable to blackmail for contacts with Kislyak before Trump took office on Jan. 20.
    Kislyak was with Lavrov at the White House when Trump disclosed the sensitive information.
    A spokeswoman for the FBI declined to comment on the details of the memo.
    An emailed fundraising appeal by Trump's political organisation and the Republican National Committee sent out after reports of the Comey memo said Trump was being victimised by an "unelected bureaucracy."
    "You already knew the media was out to get us," it said. "But sadly it’s not just the fake news… There are people within our own unelected bureaucracy that want to sabotage President Trump and our entire 'America First' movement."
    The new development came as Republican and Democratic lawmakers pressured Trump to give a fuller explanation for why he revealed sensitive intelligence information to Lavrov.
    The information had been supplied by a US ally in the fight against Daesh, the officials said.


  5. Waqas Dar
    WASHINGTON: High use of computers and social media is leading to an increasing risk of ill-health, says a new report issued by the World Health Organisation.
    The study, Adolescent obesity, and related behaviors: trends and inequalities in the WHO European Region 2002–2014, based on the findings of a questionnaire sent to more than 200,000 children in 42 countries.
    And it found a steep increase between 2002 and 2014 in the proportion of children and young people using technology for two hours or more each weekday for things like social media, surfing the internet and homework.
    While use increased for both genders, it showed more than triple for girls aged 15 and over during this period, with experts blaming the rise of social media.
    The research findings also found that children as young as 11 spending a large chunk of time online.
    When it came to using computers, tablets or smartphones just for games, between a third and two-thirds of children were spending two or more hours every weekday on them.
    Experts say this is leading to an increasing risk of ill-health, with the vast majority of young people also failing to take the recommended level of exercise each day.
    The authors say that risks like cyber bullying, impact on mental health, as well as lost sleep are being witnessed due to the increasing use of technology. Meanwhile, the report also said that Ireland was among the countries with the lowest prevalence of 15-year-old girls watching TV for two hours or more per day.
    Also approximately 60% of 15-year-old boys from Ireland participated in vigorous physical activity four times a week or more in 2014. Moreover, interestingly Ireland was among the countries with the greatest overall decrease in adolescent daily soft-drinks consumption. It also had one of the biggest drops, 24%, in those eating sweets daily.
     


  6. Waqas Dar
    PESHAWAR: Former president and Pakistan People's Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari Wednesday said that this time his party will not allow RO elections in the country and will only take a sigh after having received election results.
    Speaking to newsmen in Peshawar, Zardari said the last general elections in the country were that of returning officers, noting that his party did not campaign for the polls in 2013.
    "We will launch a full-fledged election campaign this time. Bilawal and I will campaign in Balochistan, South Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while my sister and Aseefa will campaign in Sindh," he said.
    Promising to not let anyone rig the elections, the former president said that his party fellows will not leave without having received electoral results.
    The PPP co-chairman spoke about a range of political affairs at Wednesday's presser, during his visit to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
    He clearly expressed his mistrust in the National Accountability Bureau saying it isn't a transparent institution, recounting that the Supreme Court labelled Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as 'The Godfather'.
    Zardari said his visit to Peshawar was part of political activities, where workers showered him with love.
    He said that he found no signs of 'Naya Pakistan' anywhere in the province. "I met government officials here and no one said that he was happy with the current state of affairs."
    "I also met parents of APS martyrs and it made me break into tears," the ex-president said, adding that investigations into the gruesome incident should again be held.
    Questioned about Pak Sarzameen Party, he said that he didn't consider it a political party.
    Commenting on Sunday's unrest during the PSP rally in Karachi, Zardari said if they wanted to hold a rally then they should have gone to some ground or open area for this purpose.
    "Choking the country by blocking Shahrah-e-Faisal was wrong," he contended.


  7. Waqas Dar
    QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Sardar Sanaullah Khan Zehri on Wednesday said that the enemies of Pakistan are panic-stricken because of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project and they were behind recent terror incidents in the province.  
    Speaking to the press he said that an agreement has been signed in the Beijing for an international airport in Gwadar, further adding that in the Chinese capital he has also signed for Gwadar Expressway and port city projects.   
    “All eyes globally are set on CPEC,” he said. “And the opinion of Chinese President for Gwadar has been really positive.”
    The chief minister said that Gwadar port free zone, LNG terminal, and Pak-China Vocational Institute are part of CPEC.
    Zehri said that the under-construction 50-bed hospital in Gwadar will be extended to 150-bed.
    The CM Baluchistan reiterated that CPEC project will be completed at any cost and would foil every conspiracy designed to destabilize the country.
    Recently unidentified attackers gunned down ten labourers in two separate incidents on the outskirts of Gwadar.
    One labourer is also said to have been injured in one of the attacks.
    The incidents took place in the Pishgan and Guns Road area of Gwadar where the labourers were working on construction projects.
    Most of the victims are said to be natives of Naushero Feroze, Sindh, according to sources. 
    Sources added that the site of the incident has been cordoned off by security forces and a sweeping operation is under way. 
    Balochistan Home Minister Sarfaraz Bugti termed the incident an attack on Pakistanis, saying the perpetrators will be brought to book. He added that it seems that RAW-funded terrorists are behind the attack.
    In a statement, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned the killing of innocent labourers, saying every step will be taken to bring peace to Balochistan. 
      


  8. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: Goods transporters in Karachi have called off their 10-day strike and a formal announcement will be done at 6PM on Wednesday (today), Governor Sindh Muhammad Zubair told Geo News.
    Zubair admitted that some transporters still have concerns. He added that cargo vehicles will be provided security.
    The goods transporters had refused to carry goods from the ports to the markets, with the containers standing full at Karachi International Container Terminal and Pakistan International Container Terminal.
    Transporters had entered into a strike to protest heavy vehicles being barred from moving inside the city, due to which goods worth millions of rupees sit immobile in warehouses.
    Fears emerged that there will be shortage of imported goods in the domestic market.
    Transactions worth Rs214 billion could not occur due to transporters’ strike, according to Chairman Pakistan Apparel.  
    Filed review application on transporters’ strike: CM Sindh
    Earlier today Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah said that a review application has been filed in the court pertaining to goods transporters’ strike in the city.
    “We are sympathetic to the problems of goods transporters,” he remarked while speaking to the media during a trip to Sehwan.


  9. Waqas Dar
    PESHAWAR: A protest by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Wednesday against electricity load-shedding and overbilling in the province partially subsided after one group of protesters called off their demonstration.
    Earlier in the day, charged PTI workers led by the party's MNA from South Waziristan, Ayesha Gulalai Wazir, and local district leadership, stormed the WAPDA House in Peshawar during their protest against power cuts.  
    "The federal government receives taxes from the citizens but does not provide basic facilities in return," Gulalai said, as party workers chanted slogans against the federal government.
    She further alleged that PESCO [province's power company] is run as per the directives of Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) leader Amir Muqam and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl president Maulana Fazlur Rehman
    "The protest shall continue till unannounced load-shedding ends," Gulalai said.
    However, later in the day, the protesters split into two groups with one initiating negotiations with the PESCO management and subsequently calling off their protest.
    Read more: PPP protests against load shedding in Hyderabad, lashes out at PML-N
    "The province has not been subjected to any unscheduled or unannounced load shedding," a PESCO spokesperson said. "Seventy percent of the protestors belong to high-loss areas."
    A maximum of eighty percent loss due to electricity theft has been recorded in Gulalai's area Jandokhel, the PESCO spokesperson added.
    He further stated that 18-hours of load-shedding is only effective in areas that have 70 to 100 percent electricity loss, and said that if these areas agree to the installation of billing meters, load-shedding hours can be reduced in this area.
     
     
     


  10. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Spokesperson Naeem-ul-Haque apologised over his tweet regarding the former special assistant to the prime minister, Tariq Fatemi.
    While talking to the media on Wednesday, Haque said other leaders of PTI, including Shireen Mazari and Shah Mehmood Qureshi also posted similar statement. He questioned whether Mazari and Shah Mehmood would also apologise.
    In his tweet, Haque had claimed Fatemi was accompanying the prime minister to China, despite being dismissed from his duties. 
    "Nawaz continues to deceive the nation. Tariq Fatemi accompanying him in China. So his being relieved of his duties was a lie. What a farce," Haque's tweet had read. He and Mazari had posted a photo from last year, when Fatemi held office, and was present at a memorandum of understanding ceremony. 
    In response, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb had posted that PTI's reporting on Fatemi was ignorant and incompetent.


  11. Waqas Dar
    SEHWAN: Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah said on Wednesday that a review application has been filed in the court pertaining to goods transporters’ strike in the city.
    “We are sympathetic to the problems of goods transporters,” he remarked while speaking to the media during a trip to Sehwan
    The development comes as the goods transporters strike entered its 10th day on Wednesday. The movement of ships has been temporarily closed as there is no more space at ports to hold more containers.
    The goods transporters have refused to carry goods from the ports to the markets, the containers stand full at Karachi International Container Terminal and Pakistan International Container Terminal. 
    Read more: Containers choke Karachi Port amid transporters’ strike, piquing exporters’ distress
    Fears emerged that there will be shortage of imported goods in the domestic market.
    Transactions worth Rs214 billion could not occur due to transporters’ strike, according to Chairman Pakistan Apparel.   
    Transporters had entered into a strike to protest heavy vehicles being barred from moving inside the city, due to which goods worth millions of rupees sit immobile in warehouses.
    CM takes a jibe at PSP
    On Pak Sarzameen Party protest, CM Sindh said that “everyone has the right to protest. Sindh government has given everyone the right to protest. They [PSP] has succeeded in getting NOC of certain places.”
    When asked if cases will be registered against the PSP politicians, he took a jibe at the party leaders and said “no cases were registered. They [PSP leadership] are already booked in plenty of other cases.”
    On Lal Shahbaz Qalandar Urs, he said “we have tried to improve the arrangements for the Urs.” About two million people have come to the shrine this year, he claimed.
    Speaking about his trip to China, he said that he met many Chinese officials and other senior executives. He remarked that with their help, the government is trying its best to start the Karachi Circular Railway project this year.
    He also reiterated his stance on load-shedding and pointed out that it is unfair that 20-hour load-shedding is being held in the province. We want people to have complete access to water, electricity and gas. “They are the basic rights of people. Gas is our constitutional right.”
    He also claimed that government is trying to best to solve the electricity and water crises in Sindh.  


  12. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: A man involved in the killing of a motorcyclist in a road accident was identified as the son of a former provincial bureaucrat on Wednesday.  
    Asif Sikandar — in his statement to the Boat Basin police — had initially said the car belonged to Speaker Sindh Assembly Agha Siraj Durrani, however, on Wednesday he changed his statement.
    Sikandar, in his new statement, said that the car belonged to the Speaker’s staff officer Zulfiqar Dehar.
    The accused is the son of former Secretary Local Government Sikandar Panhor.
    Read more: Car kills motorcyclist in Karachi
    Late Saturday, an unregistered speeding car hit and killed a motorcyclist in the city's Boat Basin vicinity.
    According to the police, the car's driver Asif Sikandar was arrested from the site of the incident.
    The deceased's friends, on the social media, alleged that the car belongs to Durrani and it was driven by his son when the accident happened.
    Durrani's son was helped in escaping the site of the accident, they added.
    The police registered a case against Sikandar and an investigation is underway.


  13. Waqas Dar
    MUMBAI: Young Indian spinner Washington Sunder claimed three wickets to help Rising Pune Supergiant reach their maiden Indian Premier League final after beating Mumbai Indians by 20 runs in the first qualifier on Tuesday.
    Chasing 163 for victory, table-toppers Mumbai faltered against a disciplined Pune bowling attack to end on 142 for nine in 20 overs. Parthiv Patel top-scored with 52.
    Put into bat first, Pune´s batsmen were also at the receiving end of some inspired Mumbai bowling as they struggled to get quick runs on a seemingly slow track and end on 162-4.
    Pune batsmen Manoj Tiwary (58) and Ajinkya Rahane (56) recorded gritty half-centuries to ensure a competitive target for the home team at Mumbai´s Wankhede Stadium.

    Parthiv Patel of Mumbai Indians attempts a shot/BCCI
    But it was 17-year-old Sunder who turned it round for Pune with his impressive figures of 3-16, making up for the absence of star all-rounder Ben Stokes.
    Sunder, who has just played five first-class games for his south Indian state of Tamil Nadu, struck twice in his opening over including the prized scalp of opposition skipper Rohit Sharma (1).
    The lanky off-spinner also got the dangerous Kieron Pollard (7), forcing the burly West Indian to flick a flattish delivery to Pune skipper Steve Smith at short mid-wicket.
    Pune fast bowler Shardul Thakur also took three wickets.
    Earlier there was an entertaining blitz from wicketkeeper-batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni, whose 26-ball unbeaten 40 gave Pune the much-needed push in the final few overs.
    Just when it looked like Pune´s innings would end in a whimper, Tiwary and Dhoni combined to hit a flurry of fours and sixes in the final two overs that cost Mumbai 41 runs.
    Mumbai have another shot at booking a final berth when they take on the winner of the eliminator between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders in the second qualifier on Friday.


  14. Waqas Dar
    JALALABAD: Suicide bombers stormed the national television station in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad on Wednesday, triggering gunfights and explosions as journalists remained trapped inside the building, officials and eyewitnesses said.
    At least two people were killed and 14 others wounded in the ongoing assault, which underscores the growing dangers faced by media workers in Afghanistan.
    No insurgent group has so far claimed responsibility for the raid in Nangarhar province, a hotbed of Daesh militants, where the US military dropped its largest non-nuclear bomb last month in an unprecedented attack.
    "Four attackers entered the RTA (Radio Television Afghanistan) building this morning. Two blew themselves up and two others are still resisting," government spokesman Attaullah Khogyani told AFP. He had earlier said there were three attackers.
    "At least two civilians have been killed and 14 others wounded so far," Kohgyani said, with a health worker telling AFP that many of those brought to hospital suffered gunshot wounds.
    An RTA photographer said he fled the building as soon as the gunfight erupted, but many of his colleagues were still stuck inside.
    Daesh insurgents are active in Nangarhar province, of which Jalalabad is the capital.
    The US military last month dropped the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb -- dubbed the "Mother Of All Bombs" -- on IS positions in Nangarhar, killing dozens of militants.
    The bombing triggered global shock waves, with some condemning the use of Afghanistan as what they called a testing ground for the weapon, and against a militant group that is not considered as big a threat as the resurgent Taliban.
    According to the US Forces-Afghanistan, defections and recent battlefield losses have reduced the local Daesh presence from a peak of as many as 3,000 fighters to a maximum of 800.
    Deadly country for media
    The Pentagon has reportedly asked the White House to send thousands more troops to Afghanistan to break the deadlocked fight against the Taliban.
    US troops in Afghanistan number about 8,400 today, and there are another 5,000 from NATO allies, who also mainly serve in an advisory capacity -- a far cry from the US presence of more than 100,000 six years ago.
    Wednesday´s attack marks the latest militant assault on an Afghan media organisation.
    Afghanistan suffered its deadliest year on record for journalists in 2016, according to the Afghan Journalists´ Safety Committee (AJSC), adding that the country is the second most dangerous for reporters in the world after Syria.
    As least 13 journalists were killed last year, AJSC said, claiming that the Taliban was behind at least ten of the deaths.
    In January last year, seven employees of popular TV channel Tolo, which is often critical of the insurgents, were killed in a Taliban suicide bombing in Kabul in what the militant group said was revenge for "spreading propaganda" against them.
    It was the first major attack on an Afghan media organisation since the Taliban were ousted from power in 2001 and spotlighted the dangers faced by journalists as the security situation worsens.
    Dan Coats, the head of US intelligence agencies, warned last week that the security situation "will also almost certainly deteriorate through 2018, even with a modest increase in the military assistance by the US".
    US-led forces have been fighting in Afghanistan for almost 16 years, making it America´s longest war.


  15. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: A judicial enquiry should be launched into the Army Public School massacre that took many innocent lives on December 16, 2014, said opposition leader Khursheed Shah in the National Assembly on Wednesday.
    The opposition leader said he met parents of the deceased schoolchildren with Pakistan Peoples Party Co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari. "The promises made to the parents have not been fulfilled."
    He added mothers of the deceased still mourn the killing of their children. Therefore, Shah said, a judicial enquiry should be started.
    "So that it is known what interests were involved," he maintained. "Who benefitted from the attack and where [the authorities] lagged."
    The incident had united the entire nation. "But the hearts that were broken have not been healed yet."  
    Shah was referring to the incident of December 16, 2014, in which terrorists barged into Army Public School situated on Warsak Road in Peshawar. They opened fire and hurled bombs in the school, killing over 100 students and teachers.



  16. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: AD Khawaja, on Wednesday, expressed his wish in the Sindh High Court (SHC) to voluntarily step down as the Inspector General Police (IGP) Sindh in the best interest of the force.
    A two-member bench led by Justice Munib Akhter heard the case after the hearing was delayed on Tuesday to a strike call by the lawyers. 
    Advocate Shahab Osto submitted his credentials to the court as Khawaja's legal counsel and submitted his client’s request to end the stay order that requires Khawaja to continue to serve as the IGP Sindh.
    “The conflict on the IGP Sindh's posting should be mutually resolved by all parties involved,” Osto told the court.
    "AD Khawaja wishes to return to the federal government so that the provincial government can appoint an IGP of its choice," the lawyer said.
    He requested the court to end the stay order and remove his client's name from the respondents' list.
    "The court can neither remove Khawaja's name from the list of respondents nor end the stay order at this point," Justice Munib Akhter responded.
    The Sindh High Court has stayed the order for AD Khawaja to continue performing his duties as the IGP Sindh numerous times in the past month after it asked respondents to the case to submit various documents.
    A cabinet session, where Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah approved the decision to surrender the services of the IGP to the federal government was held on April 5,
    Read more: Sindh govt cannot deal with IGP like AD Khawaja: Saad Rafique
    A total of 13 IGPs in Sindh were appointed between 2002 and 2017.
    Khawaja was appointed the IGP on March 13, 2016.
    On April 2, Sardar Abdul Majeed Dasti took charge as the acting IGP Sindh after the provincial government surrendered AD Khawaja's services to the federal government.
    Earlier on April 11, the SHC extended the stay order for AD Khawaja to continue serving as the IGP Sindh until April 13.
    Read more: IG Sindh AD Khawaja didn't fulfil expectations: Khursheed Shah
    A notification issued by the Sindh government that replaced AD Khawaja with Sardar Abdul Majeed Dasti as the IGP was suspended by the SHC on April 3.
     


  17. Waqas Dar
    CANNES: From the tale of a mysterious beast to a migrant who finds he can levitate after being shot on a border fence, these are the 19 movies competing in the main competition at this week´s Cannes film festival which gets under way on May 17:
    Wonderstruck

    Photo: courtest Wonderstruck
    Todd Haynes in back in period mode after his huge hit "Carol" with the first of two Amazon-backed movies to have made the cut. Julianne Moore and Michelle Williams star in the story of two deaf children living parallel lives in the 1920s and 1970s.
    Jupiter´s Moon

    Hungarian director Kornel Mundruczo -- who won the newcomers prize with "White God" in 2014 -- has turned his lens on the European migrant crisis, with this story of a young refugee who discovers amazing powers when he is shot.
     
    The Beguiled

    Sofia Coppola´s starry and much-touted American Civil War thriller, a remake of the 1971 movie with Clint Eastwood, features Colin Farrell as a wounded soldier who seduces the women around him, including Nicole Kidman and Kirsten Dunst.
     
    Redoubtable

    Photo: courtesy Hazanavicius Michel
    The buzz is also good on this cheeky "comedy" about the legendary New Wave movie director Jean-Luc Godard from Michel Hazanavicius, the man behind the whimsical multi-Oscar winner "The Artist".
     
    Okja

    Netflix are pushing the boat out for their big-budget "E.T."-like "creature feature" "Okja", starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Tilda Swinton, which tells the tale of a girl who risks everything to protect a shy giant animal.
     
    The Meyerowitz Stories

    The streaming giant has also snapped up Noah "While We´re Young" Baumbach´s story about a neurotic New York boho family trying to deal with their difficult artist father. Ben Stiller, Emma Thompson, Candice Bergen and Dustin Hoffman complete a top-notch cast.
     
    You Were Never Really Here

    Scotland´s Lynne Ramsay made her Cannes debut with the unforgettable "Ratcatcher". This year she will close the festival with this drama of a war veteran (Joaquin Phoenix) who tries to save a victim of ***-trafficking.
     
    Loveless

    Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev wowed Cannes in 2014 with "Leviathan", a darkly funny meditation on family bonds and religion. Family is again the focus of his new film about a clan with an aversion to affection.
     
    Good Time

    Billed as a grindhouse movie with a brain, New York indie brothers Benny and Josh Safdie have cast "Twilight" heartthrob Robert Pattinson as a bank robber struggling to evade the police.
     
    Happy End

    No one has ever won the Palme d´Or three times. But with Isabelle Huppert again by his side fresh from her accolades for "Elle", Austrian-born Michael Haneke could write his place in history with this family drama set in northern France against the backdrop of the migrant crisis.
    The Square

    The Swedish director Ruben Ostlund best known for "Snow Therapy" was a late entry with his dystopian tale of a place without rules where people can do what they want.
    The Killing of a Sacred Deer

    Nicole Kidman and Colin Farrell team up for the second time in the competition, this time in the story of a boy trying to bring a surgeon into his dysfunctional family, with disastrous consequences. With Greek maestro Yorgos Lanthimos at the helm, expect the weird.
     
    Rodin

    Gerard Depardieu has already had a go at playing France´s greatest sculptor. This time Vincent Lindon picks up the chisel to portray the artist in a biopic that marks the centenary of his death.
     
    In The Fade

    Hamburg´s Fatih Akin of "Head-On" fame returns to home ground in a promising story of vengeance set among Germany´s Turkish community.
     
     
    Amant Double (The Double Lover)

    No one does erotic thrillers like French director Francois "Swimming Pool" Ozon. His latest follows a young woman who falls in love with her therapist before realising he´s not who she thought he was.
     
    120 Beats Per Minute

    Drama by Franco-Moroccan director Robin Campillo set among a group of people working with an AIDS charity in Paris in the 1990s.
     
    Radiance

    Japan´s Naomi Kawase returns to the competition three years after her "Still the Water" with a film following a photographer whose eyesight is failing.
     
    The Day After

    South Korean director Hong Sang-Soo is bringing two films to Cannes. His new feature "The Day After" is in the main competition with a special screening for "Claire´s Camera", which features Isabelle Huppert, and was partly shot during last year´s festival.
     
    A Gentle Creature

    A woman tries to learn the truth about her husband held in a remote prison in Russia when a package for him is returned to her in Ukrainian director Sergei Loznitsa´s sombre story.


  18. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: During the hearing of the removal of Sindh's Inspector General Police (IGP) in the Sindh High Court on Wednesday, AD Khawaja's lawyer said that his client wants to voluntarily step down from his position.
    "AD Khawaja wishes to return to the federal government so that the provincial government can appoint an IGP of its choice," the lawyer said.
    He requested the court to end the stay order and remove his client's name from the respondents' list.
    "The court can neither remove Khawaja's name from the list of respondents nor end the stay order at this point," Justice Munib Akhter responded.
    The court then adjourned the hearing till tomorrow and also extended its stay order against the IGP's removal by the Sindh government.


  19. Waqas Dar
    British Pakistani actor Adeel Akhtar created history by becoming the first non-white male to win the best actor British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) award.
    The actor was recognised for his powerful depiction of a father, Shahzad, who murders his daughter in a so-called honour killing in BBC Three drama Murdered By My Father.
    The moment was savoured by the show’s screenwriter Vinay Patel, who shared a picture with Akhtar and wrote “"First non-white fella to win a #Bafta TV award for best actor? This guy. (Not me, obvs)."
     
    Born to a Pakistani father and Kenyan mother, Akhtar was born and brought up in London. The actor initially completed a degree in law, but decided to pursue his passion for acting and trained at a drama school in New York.
    Last year, Akhtar was nominated in the BAFTA’s Best Supporting Actor for his role as Wilson Wilson in Utopia.
    He has also appeared in other series such as John Le Carre’s The Night Manager, Trollied and Apple Tree Yard.


  20. Waqas Dar
    JALALABAD: Militants stormed the national television and radio station in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad on Wednesday, triggering a gunfight as journalists remained trapped inside the building, officials and eyewitnesses said.
    No insurgent group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack in Nangarhar province, a hotbed of Daesh militants, where the US military dropped its largest non-nuclear bomb last month in an unprecedented attack.
    "Three gunmen entered the RTA (Radio Television Afghanistan) building this morning," government spokesman Attaullah Khogyani told AFP. "Two of them have been killed and one is still resisting."
    An RTA photographer said he fled the building as soon as the gunfight erupted, but some of his colleagues were still stuck inside. An AFP reporter near the scene of the attack also heard two explosions.
    Daesh insurgents are active in Nangarhar province, of which Jalalabad is the capital.
    The US military last month dropped the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb -- dubbed the "Mother Of All Bombs" -- on Daesh positions in Nangarhar, killing dozens of militants.
    The unprecedented attack triggered global shock waves, with some condemning the use of Afghanistan as what they called a testing ground for the weapon, and against a militant group that is not considered as big a threat as the resurgent Taliban.
    According to the US Forces-Afghanistan, defections and recent battlefield losses have reduced the local Daesh presence from a peak of as many as 3,000 fighters to a maximum of 800.
    The Pentagon has reportedly asked the White House to send thousands more troops to Afghanistan to break the deadlocked fight against the Taliban.
    US troops in Afghanistan number about 8,400 today, and there are another 5,000 from NATO allies, who also mainly serve in an advisory capacity -- a far cry from the US presence of more than 100,000 six years ago.
    Dangers faced by media
    Wednesday´s attack marks the latest militant assault on an Afghan media organisation.
    Afghanistan suffered its deadliest year on record for journalists in 2016, according to the Afghan Journalists´ Safety Committee (AJSC), adding that the country is the second most dangerous for reporters in the world after Syria.
    At least 13 journalists were killed last year, AJSC said, claiming that the Taliban was behind at least ten of the deaths.
    In January last year, seven employees of popular TV channel Tolo, which is often critical of the insurgents, were killed in a Taliban suicide bombing in Kabul in what the militant group said was revenge for "spreading propaganda" against them.
    It was the first major attack on an Afghan media organisation since the Taliban were ousted from power in 2001 and spotlighted the dangers faced by media workers in Afghanistan as the security situation worsens amid a growing wave of militant attacks.


  21. Waqas Dar
    RAWALPINDI: Four terrorists from the proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) sentenced to death by military courts for ‘heinous offences’ were hanged inside a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa jail on Wednesday.
    According to the ISPR, the convicts were sentenced to death for various offences, including killing of civilians, destruction of educational institutes and attacking military and law enforcement agencies’ officials. All four convicts are said to have admitted their crimes in front of a magistrate and the trial court.
    The deceased convicts were identified Ahmed Ali, son of Bakhat Karam, Asghar Khan, son of Azizur Rehman, Haroonur Rasheed, son of Mian Saeed Usman and Gul Rehman, son of Zareen.
    The convicts were all said to be active TTP members involved in attacking military and LEAs personnel and destruction of an educational institute which resulted in death and injuries to soldiers and civilians. They were all found in possession of firearms and explosives as well.


  22. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: The upper house of the parliament, on Sunday, introduced necessary amendments to the Companies Act 2017 and passed it with consensus, which will replace the 33-year old Companies Ordinance 1984.
    The legislation now awaits the National Assembly approval during its session scheduled on Friday. The president of Pakistan, on the advice of prime minister, will sign it into the law next week, following which it will become active immediately.
    Three new slabs introduced in the new Act will award a penalty to law violators. The Companies Act 2017 reduces the discretionary powers of the Security Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) to a large extent.
    The new Act provides more room to corporate managers to conduct their affairs with more ease, e.g. holding of swift meetings of the Board of Directors General. The process of merger of companies and de-registration of banned companies will also become easier through the new Act.
    The Companies Act 2017 provides completely new responsibilities to the SECP, including authentication of the Sharia sector, certification of real estate, and approval of companies' merger.
    For all Pakistani's living abroad — nationality holders or residents —, the declaration of all of their interests in the US, Europe, Gulf or any foreign country before the SECP and the registrar of companies would be mandatory following the implementation of the new Companies Act 2017.
    The real estate sector will be handed over to the SECP. After the passage of the new Act by the National Assembly, the real estate companies would not be able to advertise new projects or book plots without the SECP approval.
    The SECP will be bound to bring on record all such information, maintain the Global Register of Beneficial Owners as a centralised record, and provide copies of the record to the FBR and other concerned agencies.
    Officials of all companies will be bound to check money-laundering, under the Anti-Money Laundering Act 2017, once the new legislation is implemented.
    SECP will be granted the watchdog status, so it could play a crucial role in investigations. It will be empowered to block the businesses of fake real estate agents, safeguard the interests of investors, and help promote legal real estate projects.
    Moreover, no company would be allowed to practice Islamic banking without following SECP's new regulations.
    Under the new Act, a Pakistani with dual nationality, a person with Pakistani passport living in any country of the world, owning shares of a Pakistani or foreign company and company directors would be liable to submit a shares report.
    The Parliament, for the first time, has made large companies to have at least one female director on their board as a social obligation, and reserve a two percent quota for differently abled people.


  23. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: Twenty international wrestlers, including former WWE stars Wade Barrett and Carlito, are ready to entertain Karachiites in a pro-wrestling showdown tonight.
    The wrestlers will be seen in action at the World Heavy Weight Pro Wrestling Competition at Karachi Sports Complex tonight.
    The wrestlers have been brought to Pakistan by Pro Wrestling Entertainment group, which aims to take the sport to new heights in the country.
    The first-of-its-kind event will be graced by former WWE Intercontinental, United States and World Tag Team Champion Carlito and former WWE Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett.
    France-based wrestler of Pakistani origin Badshah Pehlwan Khan and Tiny Iron are also among the 20 wrestlers who will be in action in front of the fans.
    Others to join the party are Tango, Flesh, Zefy, Bambikiller, Yacine Osmani, Fabio Ferrari, Mr Jacky, Ludovic Vaillant, Angel's Bombita, Audrey Bride, Mickey Trash, Betty Trash, Omen, Adam Flex Maxted, Aaron Rammy, Bernard Vandamme and Xtreme Fury.
    Wade Barrett, whose real name is Stu Bennett, said that he was glad to be in Pakistan and looking forward to some incredible wrestling action in the next few days.
    “We are excited to be here, it is my first time in Pakistan. I have heard that fans here are really incredibly passionate and excited for wrestling,” said Barrett, who has several wrestling titles under his belt.
    “It is going to be an incredible experience, we have got some of the best wrestlers in Pakistan, fans here will have a great time,” he added.
    Carlito, who had defeated John Cena for the United States Championship in his debut match on SmackDown in 2004, is also ready to take to the ring for the first time in Pakistan. The cocky, apple-eating superstar who “spits in the face of people who don’t wanna be cool” said in a video message, “Pakistan. Carlito. Now that’s cool!”
     
    The action-packed wrestling event will also showcase bouts between female wrestlers from around the world. Female wrestling stars Audrey Bride, Angel’s Bombita and Betty Trash have also arrived in Pakistan for the event.
    The wrestling event will come to Lahore on 19th May and to Islamabad on 21st May.


  24. Waqas Dar
    Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor never ceases to amaze her fans with her professionalism no matter if she is pregnant or a new mom.
    The stunning beauty who became a mummy a few months ago is back on the magazine covers with her ravishing looks.
    Recently Kareena Kapoor Khan posed for Asiana Wedding magazine while wearing gorgeous bridal wear by Pakistani designer Tena Durrani. 
    The shoot took place on a yacht in Dubai where Bebo flaunted the exquisite bridal dresses with beautiful jewellery while looking drop dead gorgeous.

    The Heroine actress also wore several lehengas by Monga’s London with handcrafted kundan necklace.

    Kareena set the luxury yacht on fire with her miraculous beauty which was enhanced as she exhibited heavily embroidered lehengas.

    From ethereal white number with embellished white lehnga to stunning crimson velvet cape and lehnga with a modern maharani appeal, Kareena donned everything with perfection.

    Kareena has also been the face of Faraz Manan lawn for a long time.

    The Chameli actress has featured on a magazine cover for the first time since giving birth to her son Taimur in December.


  25. Waqas Dar
    PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers led by the party's MNA Ayesha Gulalai Wazir, on Wednesday, registered a protest in front of the WAPDA house against electricity load shedding and overbilling in the province.
    "The federal government receives taxes from the citizens but does not provide basic facilities in return," PTI leader Gulalai said, as party workers chanted slogans against the government.
    She further alleged that PESCO is run as per the directives of Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) leader Amir Muqam and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam president Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman
    "The protest shall continue till unannounced load-shedding ends," Gulalai said.
    Read more: PPP protests against load shedding in Hyderabad, lashes out at PML-N
    The WAPDA house management closed its gates, however, PTI workers continued to build a stage in front of the PESCO Headquarters in WAPDA house as some kicked WAPDA house's gates and forcefully opened its doors.
    "The province has not been subjected to any unscheduled or unannounced load shedding," a PESCO spokesperson said. "Seventy percent of the protestors belong to high-loss areas."
    A maximum of eighty percent loss due to electricity theft has been recorded in Gulalai's area Jhandokhel, the PESCO spokesperson added.
    He further stated that 18-hours of load shedding is only effective in areas that have seventy to hundred percent electricity loss, and said that if these areas agree to the installation of billing meters, load shedding hours can be reduced in this area.
     
     
     


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