Here is something that really happened – extremely useful from both religious and health points of view. It is claimed that by following this practice in letter and in spirit, one can stay healthy all one’s life. Quote from Aalim Diary, 2019:“Recently I was looking for a location for making a film. I was passing through Falaj Mulla on my way to Sharjah (UAE). This village lies between Sharjah and Amalqen on the way to Fujera. They have very extensive...
Sunday, June 30, 2019
Border abuse
Nearly four years ago, the devastating photos of a Syrian toddler named Alan Kurdi, whose little body had washed ashore in Turkey, shocked the world.Kurdi’s story was tragically typical – his family had fled the Syrian war and attempted to cross the Mediterranean to seek refuge in Greece. All of Kurdi’s siblings and his mother died while crossing. Only his father survived.Today, the photo of the bodies of Oscar Alberto Martínez and his two-year-old...
Some more on Tipu and Tughluq
My previous column about Girish Karnad and his plays ‘The Dreams of Tipu’ and ‘Tughluq’ drew the attention of readers more internationally than nationally.There was a stream of emails agreeing and disagreeing with the column. Most readers from Pakistan appreciated the column but comments from across the border were more in disagreement, especially about Tipu Sultan. It is not possible to respond to all emails so here only a few of them are being...
It’s the people
Ten months into office and PM Khan seems to have settled in the role of the nation’s chief instructor. One wonders if he will have success as a reformer, or retire, echoing what President Charles de Gaulle of France had felt: my problem is the people.Having been credited with pulling France out of the morass after WWII, De Gaulle realized that he and the people were no longer in sync. He called a referendum. The people voted against his national...
Border abuse
Nearly four years ago, the devastating photos of a Syrian toddler named Alan Kurdi, whose little body had washed ashore in Turkey, shocked the world.Kurdi’s story was tragically typical – his family had fled the Syrian war and attempted to cross the Mediterranean to seek refuge in Greece. All of Kurdi’s siblings and his mother died while crossing. Only his father survived.Today, the photo of the bodies of Oscar Alberto Martínez and his two-year-old...
Ghazi Barotha Project imperative to overcome water shortage
Rawalpindi : Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) Chairman Muhammad Arif Abbasi stressed that the materialization of Ghazi Barotha Project is the only and best solution to overcome water problem for the next 40 to 50 years.Giving the details, he said that present population of Rawalpindi city is 2.6 million including WASA served area of 1.6 million people.The present demand of water in WASA area is 64 million gallons per day (mgd) whereas current production...
Chaudhry Fawad to be chairperson of Comsats consultative committee
Islamabad : The Government of Pakistan attaches great importance to the Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (Comsats) - an inter-governmental organisation based in Islamabad. An indication of this is the designation of the Federal Minister for Science and Technology, Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, as ex-officio Chairperson of Comsats Consultative Committee (which was previously chaired by the Federal Secretary)...
Strict action ordered against preachers of hate speech
Rawalpindi : The City Police Officer (CPO) Rawalpindi, DIG Muhammad Faisal Rana has directed the officers concerned to take strict action against those involved in publishing hate material, illegal wall-chalking and uploading hate speech on social media.According to a police spokesman, the CPO had instructed the police officers to implement National Action Plan in letter and spirit and the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) issued by Punjab Interior...
Eateries continue to violate hygiene standards
Veiled surprises in food ordered from their favorite roadside eateries, fast food chains or even some restaurants are not new to Pindiites. They have spotted dead creepy-crawlies, cockroaches and house flies in their plates. Even rats have been detected in their kitchens. Some cases have been brought to light by the media about the ‘extra nutrition’ food lovers are being served, others choose to keep mum.“Recently, I bought a pizza from a high-scale...
IGP lauds police team over recovery of two abducted girls
Islamabad: Inspector General of Police (IGP) Islamabad Muhammad Aamir Zulfiqar Khan has appreciated a team of Industrial area police station which recovered two abducted girls.According to details, Industrial area police received a complaint regarding abduction of two girls following which IGP Islamabad directed SP (Industrial Zone) Sayed Aziz to ensure their immediate recovery. He constituted a special police team which succeeded to recover both...
33-member national youth council notified
Islamabad: Prime Minister Imran Khan has formally approved the launch of 33-member National Youth Council (NYC) for uplift of youth of the country.“As per decision, the program Patron in chief will be Prime Minister Imran Khan while chairman will be PMYA’s adviser (Prime Minister Youth Affairs ) Usman Dar”, an official told this agency.He said that it is a remarkable initiative to ensure active participation of young professionals in national development.He...
Medical colleges performance to be evaluated annually: PMDC
Islamabad : Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has planned to evaluate the performance of all public and private medical and dental colleges to have their annual quality categorisation and pointing out loopholes in the system.According to an official of PMDC, all medical and dental colleges will be graded into five categories from A+ to D based on performance and facilities and faculty basis with a purpose to assist students in making their...
Painting exhibition concludes at PNCA
Islamabad : A three-day national painting exhibition Sunday concluded after a successful display at Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) organised by Pakistan Peace Collective (PPC), a project of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.The last day of the exhibition was attributed to public display so the locals can come and enjoy the paintings by students from 24 universities across the country themed around interfaith harmony and religious...
AIOU to receive tutors’ registration applications till July 5
Islamabad : Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) has announced that it will receive applications for appointment of part-time tutors till July 5.The eligible persons have been asked to get them enrolled by the stipulated date through the prescribed E-registration process.For the tutorship from the next semester, the re-registration is required both by previous and fresh ones.The qualification and experience, set for the tutors will be strictly followed,...
Unemployment rate of women in Punjab stands at10.9%
Islamabad : A survey conducted by Punjab Commission on Status of Women (PCSW ) on Women’s Economic and Social Wellbeing revealed that unemployment rate of women in the Punjab was 10.9 per cent.According to the survey, the rate in rural areas (9.7) is lower than urban areas with 14.3 per cent and unemployment rate is lowest for currently married women with 10.0 per cent followed by never married women with 11.5 per cent.However, it is much higher...
650 phoned CTP to seek help
Rawalpindi : The City Traffic Police (CTP) Rawalpindi received more than 650 phone calls from road users seeking help or guidance during the last month.According to details, the calls related to complaints of public service vehicles overcharging, road accidents, one wheeling by youngsters and serious traffic violations.Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Muhammad Bin Ashraf said that strict action would be taken against the violators and no one would be...
Fawara Chowk shelter home accommodates over 18,000 homeless
Rawalpindi : Over 18,000 homeless people have been provided free accommodation facility in Fawara Chowk Shelter Home during last seven months.According to focal person, Shelter Home/Sub-Registrar Cantonment Hafiz Muhammad Imran, 1002 homeless persons were accommodated in December 2018, 2511 in January 2019 and 2862 in February.Similarly, 3145 persons were registered in March, 3302 in April and 2732 in May while 2509 homeless persons were accommodated...
Who cares for the national interest?
Very often one has witnessed common people in various towns discussing interest and national interest. Unlike leaders they come to terms over a cup of home-grown tea and decide to work together for everybody's benefit.In matters that are economic, financial or commercial, or in any way connected with trade and industry, the word 'interest' means the extra money that we pay back when we borrow money from someone, that is, we pay interest on a loan....
1,300 vehicles of token tax defaulters impounded
Rawalpindi : The Excise and Taxation (E&T) Rawalpindi impounded 1,300 vehicles of token tax defaulters and collected revenue amounting to over Rs19 million during last six months.According to an E & T officer, total 42 general hold ups were conducted against the defaulters, improper number plates and unregistered vehicles during the period.He said, special teams were formed for the general hold up which conducted operations simultaneously...
Eight of a family gunned down in Multan
MULTAN: Eight members of a family were killed and set on fire in an honour-related incident at Hassanabad area of Multan on Sunday night.Rescue officials told media that six of the deceased were gunned down while two of them were burnt alive inside a room. Multan’s Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) was reported to have said that Ajmal allegedly killed his wife and seven in-laws over the honour issue, adding that the assailant, along with his...
Melissa McCarthy in talks to play Ursula in Disney’s live-action movie Little Mermaid
After The Lion King and the recently released Aladdin’s live-action remakes, Disney is all set to give the same treatment to The Little Mermaid. According to recent reports, comedian and actress Melissa McCarthy is in early talks to play the villain, Ursula, in Disney’s latest live-action movie. “No deal has been done, but it would be the latest piece in place for the project, part of Disney’s reboots of its animated classics that include the recent...
SOC Films release seventh short, Forced Marriage, from Aagahi series
Last year, SOC Films helmed by Oscar winning documentary filmmaker and journalist Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, launched a public service campaign, titled Aagahi, to educate women about their legal rights in Pakistan.After launching six animated shorts as part of the initiative, SOC films has released the seventh part, titled Forced Marriage – Zabardasti Ki Shaadi.The seventh animated short in Urdu, which is almost three-minutes long, describes what can...
The weekly mixtape 03: Meesha Shafi and Strings reveal what’s been on their playlist
Some of the biggest names in the history of contemporary music of Pakistan, Strings co-founders Faisal Kapadia and Bilal Maqsood who have released all but one song from the album 30 (Tees), and the singer of the decade, Meesha Shafi, tell Instep what they’ve been listening to and what are some of the songs/artists on their mixtape.Bilal Maqsood from Strings, Pakistan’s longest running music group… The five songs Bilal Maqsood has been listening to...
Saturday, June 29, 2019
Waldschmidt targets record as Germany meet Spain in Euro U21 final
UDINE, Italy: Germany star Luca Waldschmidt will be looking to set a new goal-scoring record as the defending champions take on Spain in Sunday’s (today’s) final of the European under-21 championships in Udine.Waldschmidt has scored seven goals so far in the tournament and one more would see him overtake Swede Marcus Berg’s record achieved in 2009 for the most scored at the continental championships.“What matters more is the title,” insisted Walschmidt,...
Lashley hangs onto PGA Tour lead as Champ charges
WASHINGTON: Nate Lashley maintained his one-shot lead at the US PGA Tour’s Rocket Mortgage Classic Friday, firing a five-under par 67 for a 14-under par total of 130 to keep red-hot Cameron Champ at bay.Champ, seeking the second victory of his inaugural US PGA Tour season, surged up the leaderboard at Detroit Golf Club with an eight-under 28 on the front nine before finishing with a seven-under 65.He was in the clubhouse on 13-under 131 as Lashley,...
Undaunted Waseem moving on
This year is going to be very important for Pakistan’s professional boxer Mohammad Waseem who is undergoing strenuous training under MTK Global, a world renowned boxer development company.The 31-year-old fighter, who has to his credit two World Boxing Council (WBC) titles, is scheduled to fly out of Glasgow for Madrid today (Sunday) to train for a week. The purpose of his training in Madrid is to improve his conditioning. The weather in Spain is...
Game over for Malik?
After the Cricket World Cup 2019, many players are expected to hang their boots. Among them are MS Dhoni, Lasith Malinga, Chris Gayle, Ross Taylor, Dale Steyn and Hashim Amla.Pakistan former captain Shoaib Malik has also announced that this World Cup will be his last ODI tournament, but he will continue to play T20Is and professional leagues. Malik is one of the only two cricketers currently playing who started their careers in ‘90s. The other is...
Federer, Djokovic set to battle it out for Wimbledon
It has been 17 years since any man other than Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal or Andy Murray won Wimbledon. Last year, it was the Serb who broke his two year barren spell at the majors to win a fourth Wimbledon crown, eventually initiating a Grand Slam run that wasn’t broken till Dominic Thiem’s win over him at Roland Garros. And with Murray only in the doubles contest this year, the odds are heavily stacked in favour of one of the Big...
Shaheen shines at sizzling Edgbaston
LEEDS, England: For the second match in a row, Mohammad Amir wasn’t among the wicket-takers for Pakistan. And for second time in a row, it was the 19-year-old Shaheen Shah Afridi, who ripped through the opposition’s batting line-up to keep the national team in the hunt for a place in the World Cup semi-finals.Shaheen became the youngest player in World Cup history to take a four-wicket haul as his 4-47 helped Pakistan restrict Afghanistan to 227-9...
ATP should have say over ‘unfair’ Wimbledon seedings: Nadal
LONDON: Rafael Nadal said Saturday that the ATP should have more say over the seedings at Wimbledon with the two-time champion, who was relegated a spot for this year’s tournament, describing the system as “unfair.”The 33-year-old, who moved to within two of Roger Federer’s record 20 Grand Slam triumphs with his 12th French Open earlier this month, said his qualms over Wimbledon organisers modifying the seedings according to grass court form rather...
FIFA decides to appoint body to resolve PFF dispute
KARACHI: In order to resolve the long-standing dispute between the two factions FIFA has decided to appoint a normalisation committee which will run day-to-day affairs of Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) and hold elections of the federation and respective districts and provincial associations within nine months.This also ended a long rule of the outgoing PFF chief Faisal Saleh Hayat who had been running the federation since 2003.However it is not...
Lord’s balcony fitting stage for Barty
LONDON: Australia’s women’s tennis world number one Ashleigh Barty has achieved another dream — standing on the balcony at Lord’s, the home of cricket.The 23-year-old French Open champion, who last Sunday emulated compatriot Evonne Goolagong Cawley in topping the women’s world rankings, was invited onto the balcony by the Australian men’s cricket team after they beat England in their World Cup match. Barty had pulled out of the Eastbourne tournament...
What went wrong?
Pakistan confronts a serious paradox. It was once home to world-class achievers in virtually every field of human activity. Today, it stagnates. We remember the icons the country produced in philanthropy, science, literature, poetry, banking, industry, diplomacy and sports. The glaring omission from this exalted list is competent and devoted politicians; this omission actually spawns our predicament! (There were exceptions of course like Husyn Shaheed...
Beware, we’re losing it
Every passing day we seem to be getting fresh hints that we, collectively, are beginning to lose it. But the evidence there is of a likely societal failure is not always easy to decipher. With our focus on rising economic difficulties and gathering political disarray, there is not enough concern about our fearful deficiencies in the domain of social capital and human development.What is, however, obvious is loss of hope. Even when they do not understand...
