Here’s what’s happening across the border: Reham Khan says PTI is intimidated by her book; Zayn Malik considers running for office in America.
Kulsoom Nawaz’s health condition critical
Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s wife Kulsoom is in a “highly critical” condition after suffering a cardiac arrest on 14 June. Their son Hussain Nawaz told Geo TV that Kulsoom would be on ventilator support at a London hospital for an indefinite period.
“Begum Kulsoom was admitted to hospital in London in August last year after doctors discovered she was suffering from throat cancer. She has been undergoing treatment since,” the report adds.
On account of his wife’s condition, Sharif, who has been in London since 14 June, has reportedly decided to postpone his return to Pakistan. He and his daughter Maryam Nawaz were supposed to return Tuesday for a hearing in a corruption trial against them.
Fazlullah’s death spells big cheer for fight against terror
The death of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Mullah Fazlullah in Afghanistan was greeted with much relief in Pakistan, where he is said to have launched a series of terrorist attacks, including the 2014 Army Public School strike.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani himself called up caretaker Pakistan PM Nasirul Mulk and army chief Gen Qamar Bajwa to convey the news of Fazlullah’s death in a US drone strike.
An opinion piece in Dawn called Fazlullah’s death “the most significant of the battlefield decapitations of militant leaders yet”.
Fazlullah’s predecessors Hakeemullah Mehsud and Baitullah Mehsud were taken out by US drone strikes too.
However, while the anti-terror efforts and its output are commendable, another opinion piece in Dawn said the elimination of terrorist leaders was not the key to curbing terrorism.
“What eventually weakened the TTP was the sustained and organised military-led operations in Swat and Fata,” the opinion piece said, and listed the possible repercussions of ‘decapitation strategies’, like factionalisation and splintering, short-lived peace, and the possibility of younger, more ruthless leaders taking over.
Meanwhile, just three days after Fazlullah death, a TTP commander wanted for several cases was arrested at Peshawar’s international airport while trying to fly out of the country.
Reham Khan claims PTI is intimidated by her book
Reham Khan, journalist and former wife of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan, has said the PTI was afraid of the revelations in her upcoming memoirs, reported Geo TV Monday.
Reham claimed the party was trying to misguide voters about her and the book. Pakistan’s Daily Times quoted her as having said that she would never have married Khan or voted for the party if she had known “the bitter realities behind PTI’s face”.
The book has stoked a controversy amid claims that it contains several explosive claims about Khan, a prime ministerial hopeful this election season in Pakistan.
Pakistan leads the ICC men’s T20 Rankings
Pakistan has been ranked right on top of the T20 men’s team in International Cricket Council’s latest rankings.
After its recent washout win in a series against Scotland, Pakistan received a rating of 131 with 3,270 points. Australia, with a rating of 126, and India, with 123, rank second and third, respectively.
In the ODI rankings, however, Pakistan now ranks fifth, ahead of Australia, which has slipped to number six for the first time in 34 years.
‘Punjab Nahi Jaungi’ bags Special Jury Award at SCO Film Festival
Pakistani romantic comedy Punjab Nahi Jaungi bagged the special jury award at the first-ever Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Film Festival at Qingdao, China, reported The Nation.
Five Pakistani films were screened at the five-day film festival from 13 to 17 June, Geo TV reported.
The event was hosted by the State Film Administration and Shandong provincial government, where film star Jackie Chan was appointed the image ambassador, Xinhua reported. The festival is aimed at an exchange of cinema among SCO member nations — China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, and Pakistan.
One Direction alum Zayn ‘may run for office in America’
Pakistan-origin singer Zayn Malik said in an interview with GQ that “America is a beautiful place” and he might run for office there. Asked whether he would consider running for office in the US, he replied, “Maybe. It’d be cool. I feel like it’s a beautiful place”, reported The News.
Born to a British-Pakistani father and British mother, Malik said the US, which has courted allegations of xenophobia since Donald Trump’s election as President, is misrepresented globally. “No matter what colour, what gender, what sexuality, what class — none of that matters here. People genuinely want to know you for who you are,” he said.
However, racism in the US has been a very real threat for other Pakistanis, with a Texas student called a terrorist by a stranger just last month. The man said, “This is not Pakistan, Afghanistan or Kuwait. We have rules in this f****** country.”
Pakistanis spend over a trillion this Eid
Pakistanis spent more than a trillion rupees as they celebrated Eid 2018, reported Dawn.
Discussing the cause of the spike in spending, an analyst said the average income of Pakistani families had increased and, unlike in the past, they had multiple earners in each household. Also playing a role is the perception that Pakistan has become safer.
“Pakistan is a big country with deep-seated problems. You still hear about disturbing incidents. The scale and frequency of terrorist strikes targeting the public, however, has come down to a level where the public now perceives it as something in the horrific past,” a young expert in the retail business said.
Poor facilities at zoo cause death of animals
Several deer and monkeys, and at least three leopard cubs, have died over the past few weeks at the Peshawar zoo in Pakistan, the Dawn pointed out in an editorial. The deaths come amid a severe staff scarcity, with only 35 employees against the required 250 looking after 100 animals and many birds. Add to this the fact that many of these employees are reportedly not properly trained.
The poor management saw the authorities cut down full-grown trees in peak summer and plant saplings, leaving the enclosures exposed to the scorching sun.
Contributors: Sharanya Munsi, Priyamvada Grover, Hansa Kapoor, Manisha Mondal, Alind Chauhan and Prateek Gupta.