Category: Pakistan

Lahore (NUT-DESK)

The prime suspect in the murder of Noor Mukadam, Zahir Jaffer, has been formally charged for the crime by the Islamabad High Court on Thursday.

Besides Jaffer, two of the family’s employees — Jamil and Jan Mohammad — were also indicted, along with the Chief Executive Officer of Therapy Works, Tahir Zahoor.

Additional sessions judge Atta Rabbani indicted a total of six individuals in the case and all the accused were brought to the court from Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail.

Meanwhile, the court has summoned the prosecution witnesses on October 20 and directed that the trial must be commenced immediately and be completed within two months.  

During the hearing, the lawyer of Zahir’s parents, Advocate Rizwan Abbasi, said that the evidence produced in the court had nothing to do with Zakir Jaffer, therefore, he could not be indicted in the murder case.

In response, Shaukat Mukadam’s lawyer said the evidence can be reviewed during the trial. 

“The accused is being charged, but have not been sentenced yet, Shaukat Mukadam’s lawyer said.

During the court’s proceedings, Zahir continued to interject remarks and said that the employees of Therapy Works had entered his house when the murder took place.

Zahir also apologised to Shaukat Mukadam in the courtroom and begged him for forgiveness. 

“My life is in danger, please have mercy on me,” Zahir said to Shaukat Mukadam. 

The murder

Noor Mukadam, a 27-year-old woman, was raped and murdered with a sharp instrument on July 20 within the limits of the ​Kohsar police station in Islamabad. A case of murder was later registered at the same police station by Noor’s father, former Pakistani ambassador Shaukat Ali Mukadam.

Zahir is the prime suspect in Noor Mukadam’s murder case. The grisly murder, in which Mukadam was beheaded, took place on July 20 in Islamabad’s F-7 area.

The Islamabad police had arrested suspect Zahir on the night of July 20 from his house where, according to Noor’s parents, he killed her with a sharp instrument and severed her head.

The gruesome incident sparked a nationwide campaign seeking justice for her, with #JusticeforNoor becoming a top trend on Twitter.

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Lahore (NUT-DESK)

Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari, the daughter of Asif Zardari and late Benazir Bhutto, has been blessed with a baby boy.

Taking to Twitter, Bakhtawar announced that the baby was born on October 10.

Reacting to the news, PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and the brother of Bakhtawar also expressed his joy of becoming an uncle (mamoo).

Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari also tweeted about the news and expressed her gratefulness.

“Officially a khala!!! Alhamdullilah!” she wrote.

 Bakhtawar was married to businessman Mahmood Choudhry on January 29, 2021.

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Lahore (NUT-DESK)

Nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan breathed his last in Islamabad Sunday morning at the age of 85. He was given a state funeral at Faisal Mosque and later buried at the capital’s Sector H-8 graveyard.

Condoling his death, Prime Minister Imran Khan announced a state funeral for the national icon.

“In pursuance of announcement by Prime Minister of Pakistan, State Funeral shall be accorded to Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan. The national flag of Pakistan shall fly at half-mast on Sunday, 10th October, 2021”, read a notification issued by the Ministry of Interior.

Taking to Twitter, PM Khan said, “Deeply saddened by the passing of Dr A Q Khan. He was loved by our nation bec of his critical contribution in making us a nuclear weapon state. This has provided us security against an aggressive much larger nuclear neighbour. For the people of Pakistan he was a national icon.”

Shortly after the news of the nuclear scientist’s death broke, celebrities through their social media accounts expressed sadness and grief over the passing of “father of Pakistan’s nuclear programme”.

“Saddened to hear about the loss of Dr #AbdulQadeerKhan. He was a patriot and the nation will always be indebted to him for his services to our country,” tweeted renowned actor and singer Ali Zafar.

Actor Imran Abbas said, “The father of Pakistan’s nuclear programme Sir Abdul Qadeer Khan is no more. Inna Lillahe wa Inna Elehe Rajeoon. Standing ovation to our hero for giving us strength and power with the grace of Almighty and his endless contributions.”

Actor Adnan Siddiqui in a condolence message posted on his Twitter handle said: “We are a nuke-power today only because of AQ Khan. Forever indebted. Khuda Hafiz, Mohsin-e-Pakistan. May Allah grant you higher place in Jannah tul Firdous. Aameen.”

“His contributions made us stand proud and strong. We are forever indebted to you #DrAbdulQadeerKhan,” wrote actor Ahsan Khan.

Actress Saba Qamar tweeted: “Sorry to hear about the passing of #DrAbdulQadeerKhan. Thank you for your services Sir! My thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones.”

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Lahore (NUT-DESK)

Lahore police arrested an associate of the female Tiktoker and victim in Minar-e-Pakistan harassment incident, Rambo, and seven others after a blackmailing complaint was filed with the police

According to Punjab’s investigation police, seven people including Amir Sohail aka Rambo have been arrested during separate raids in Lahore. The police also conducted a raid to arrest an accomplice of Rambo, Badshah, in Rawalpindi, however, he fled before the raid.

Earlier in the day, a female TikToker who was allegedly manhandled and harassed at Minar-e-Pakistan on Independence Day has blamed her associate, Rambo, for the entire episode at the Greater Iqbal Park in Lahore.

In a written statement submitted to DIG Investigations, Ayesha Akram said that it was Rambo, her associate, who made the plan to visit Greater Iqbal Park on Independence Day, which later led to the horrific incident.

“Rambo used to blackmail me using some of my obscene videos he possessed,” she said adding that he had so far received Rs1 million from her through blackmailing tactics besides also regularly receiving half of her salary.

The female Tiktoker further alleged that Rambo used to run a TikTok gang along with his associate named Badshah.

On August 14, the woman TikToker was assaulted and harassed at Minar-e-Pakistan by a mob of nearly 400 men. The incident came to light weeks later after videos of the horrific episode went viral on social media, forcing the authorities to launch a crackdown against all those involved in it.

Police arrested multiple people while using CCTV footage and other technology and during an identification parade, the female TikToker had identified at least six suspects during the process.

Lahore (NUT-DESK)

The government is all set to launch the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) programme today (Wednesday) which will be inaugurated by President Arif Alvi.

Confirming the news, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Shibli Faraz took to his official handle to say: “Excited to be leading the STEM pilot project by @MinistryofST.”

Excited to be leading the STEM pilot project by @MinistryofST. The step is taken to enhance problem based learning along with self directed learning in schools. Looking forward to the launch today alongside hon’ble president @ArifAlvi. pic.twitter.com/4ngjrhke2H

— Senator Shibli Faraz (@shiblifaraz) October 6, 2021

He added that the step is being taken to enhance problem-based learning along with self-directed learning in schools. In a short video message, the minister said: “Four subjects — Science, Technology, Engineering and Math — have gained importance worldwide.”

Sharing the details of the project, Faraz said that under this it — which was initiated in 2020 on Prime Minister Imran Khan’s directions — the project will be implemented in 50 schools during the first phase.  The minister clarified that the selection of these schools was based on merit and not on political basis. “Special laboratories will be established in these schools and teachers will be provided trainings,” he added.

Regarding the expectations from this project, Faraz said: “We hope that because of these STEM schools, we will move towards a new phase of development through which we can produce internationally-competitive youngsters.”

The programme is based on three parts including fab labs, teacher trainings and STEM modules.Meanwhile, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhary  wrote on Twitter: “Pakistan Science Foundation is going to launch a programme today which will be a game-changer.”

In a series of tweets, the minister said he had designed the project to convert 450 government schools into STEM schools because “the country cannot change unless government schools are modernised.”

He added that after the first phase — which includes 450 schools — more schools will follow this model.
Chaudhry said universities have been asked to take schools under their wing and improve the quality of science education at the school level.

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Lahore (NUT-DESK)

Chief Minister Punjab Usman Buzdar has removed Fayyaz ul Hassan Chohan from the post of Punjab government spokesperson. The Punjab government has appointed Hasaan Khawar as the spokesperson in place of Chohan.

Khawar will now hold the position of official spokesperson of the Punjab government along with managing the post of the Special Assistant to the Chief Minister on Information and Special Initiatives.

Chohan had been appointed as the spokesperson of the Punjab government in August.

Chohan was previously serving as Minister of Prisons for Punjab since August 2018. He had also served as the provincial minister for information.

The Punjab government has appointed spokespersons to help streamline the information dissemination process, defend its stance, and notify the public of its policies. 

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Lahore (NUT-DESK)

Legendary comedian Umer Sharif’s body arrived from Turkey early Wednesday’s morning.

According to the aviation sources, Turkish Airlines flight TK-708 took off from Istanbul at 12:53 am. The scheduled flight landed at the Jinnah International Airport at around 5:33 am. Umer Sharif’s body was flown to Munich from Nuremberg, Germany, before being flown to Istanbul aboard Turkish Air flight TK-1634.

The deceased’s wife Zareen Ghazal also returned to Pakistan on the same plane. His sons and other relatives received his body at the airport. Among others, PPP leader and Sindh minister Saeed Ghani, MQM’s Kishwar Zahra also arrived at the airport’s cargo terminal.

The PPP leader paid tribute to the comic genius. “I call upon the people to attend Umer Sharif’s funeral in large numbers as a message to the entire world that Pakistanis remember their legends even after they had passed away,” Ghani said while talking to media. 

Later, his body wrapped in the national flag was shifted to the Edhi morgue at Sohrab Goth. Fans of the comedian showered the vehicle carrying his body with rose petals in tribute to him.  

Umer Sharif’s sons – Jawad Umer and Fawad Umer – have said that their father’s funeral prayers will be offered at 3pm at the Umer Sharif Park opposite the Ziauddin Hospital in Clifton. 

He will be buried in the cemetery adjacent to the Abdullah Shah Ghazi shrine in the area, as per his wishes. People are showing up in large numbers outside the comedian’s Gulshan-e-Iqbal residence to pay tribute to him. 

Sharif was born on April 19, 1955, to an Urdu speaking family in Liaquatabad, Karachi. The star was well-acclaimed as one of the biggest comedians in Asia. 

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