Nisar defends PML-N against “rumors” of forward block once again
Ex Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar addressed a group in Kallar Syedan recently- once again, defending PML-N against accusations about a forward block in the political party. His statements were noted, as rumours had circulated earlier that after Nisar’s lack of support for party leader Nawaz Sharif’s public statements against the judiciary, a division was created within the party, leading to a probable resignation from Mr. Nisar – one of the most outspoken defenders of the PML-N’s leadership against their political opponents. He slammed down the said opponents for fabricating these rumors by saying that while difference of opinion exists, it does not translate into the formation of a forward block, and that the entire PML-N party is geared to compete in the upcoming 2018 elections.
Could Maryam Safdar be the next premier of Pakistan?
In a recent interview with The New York Times, Mrs. Safdar was asked if she could ever envision herself as the future leader of Pakistan. Her answer to this was – “People around me tell me I was meant for a certain role”. Could she be hinting towards any intentions the Sharif family might have in installing her as the future Prime Minister, should the party be successful in winning the 2018 elections? Even though just yesterday she took to Twitter to clarify that there are no current plans for her to head the party anytime soon and that the leadership of PML-N will continue to belong to her father.
Man in Rahim Yar Khan sentenced to life imprisonment for committing blasphemy
A man in Rahim Yar Khan was sentenced to life imprisonment on the charges of committing blasphemy by the Additional District and Sessions court on Saturday. The court has also ordered the indicted to submit Rs1 million fine. Additional District and Sessions Judge, Khursheed Ahmed Anjum, in his verdict, ruled that accused had committed blasphemy on social media. A complaint against the accused was registered in July 2016, said a spokesperson for the District Police Officer (DPO), Umar Saleem.
Tillerson: US will wipe out terrorism with or without Pakistan
The United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson stated that his visit to Islamabad earlier this week was simply to inform Pakistan that Washington is determined to eradicate terrorism from the region with their support or in a different way. Tillerson states that the above is not a threat, but a fact. He emphasizes the need to deal with the situation taking in consideration that the South Asia strategy is a conditions-based strategy. “Here’s what we need for Pakistan to do. We’re asking you to do this; we’re not demanding anything. You’re a sovereign country. You’ll decide what you want to do”, added Tillerson.
Pakistan set to welcome Sri Lanka’s Cricket team for T20
On Sunday, Pakistan is going to host Sri Lanka’s cricket team for a Twenty20 International- which is a positive turning point for the sport in the country as the 2009 attack on Sri Lanka’s team bus when they came for a test match to Lahore had resulted in a loss of confidence for foreign teams to play in the country.
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Operations Lahore Haider Ashraf stated that”This is not just a cricket match, it is a matter of Pakistan’s honour. All institutions, as well as the Sri Lankan squad, are satisfied with the security arrangements.” This would be the final match that would conclude the T20 series which Pakistan already leads 2-0 after winning in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Three Pakistani startups make it to Silicon Valley
This year three Pakistani startups have made it to Silicon Valley and participated in the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) that was held in Silicon Valley. The process was all about the startup’s pitching their ideas to the investors at the Global Innovation through Science and Technology (GIST) event. Only 1,000 participants from all over the world were selected to attend it whereas only 15 were invited to pitch their ideas. The three startups are “Sheop”, “TEDdict” and “WonderTree”. Sheops is about women who cook, craft and create an outlet to sell as they cannot go out to ask their shopkeeper to stock their products. Whereas TEDdict is a peer-to-peer learning portal- learning about learning. Lastly, WonderTree is a startup that acts as therapy aid as their games help players develop hand-eye coordination, physical movement, reflexes, mirroring, attention retention and decision making. Click here to read more about these startups.