Here’s what’s happening across the border: Shahid Afridi may have a pet lion and deer, and Pakistanis are going all out for charity this festive season.
In Karachi, no drumroll as age-old sehri tradition dies out
As more and more of Karachi’s citizens trust their phone alarms to wake them up for ‘sehri’, a tradition believed to date back to the Prophet’s time is ebbing away, reports The Express Tribune.
‘Sehri’ is the meal Muslims have at dawn before fasting for the day during Ramzan, and for years the hour was ushered in by the sounds of drums, flutes or qawwalis as performers move from locality to locality to wake people up.
The task was not only associated with virtue, but also gave these performers, typically a part of weddings, an additional source of income ahead of Eid festivities.
Making matters worse is the fact that Karachi’s endemic load-shedding of late has been forcing a lot of people to stay up anyway, with several youths spending the intervening time together at ‘chai dhabas’. Add to this the fact that, like in cities everywhere, independent houses are being replaced by apartment buildings, and the performers find themselves more distant from locals than ever.
India catches ‘spy pigeon’ in Amritsar
India reportedly has in custody an alleged Pakistani spy, a pigeon that landed near a BSF check post at the International Border in Amritsar.
The bird will now be X-rayed to ensure it was not carrying any encrypted messages or hidden “spying objects”, reported The Express Tribune.
Using pigeons is believed to be a common tactic of drug smugglers and militants to send coded messages across the border. Another pigeon caught on similar suspicions in 2017 escaped due to alleged negligence, with police claiming that one of two apprehended two years ago in Pathankot was carrying a message in Urdu.
Shahid Afridi slammed on Twitter for ‘chained pet lion’
Does former Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi have a pet lion? Images shared by the celebrated sportsman on Twitter showed him and his daughter with exotic animals seemingly kept chained at their home. One of them showed him feeding a deer, Dawn reported.
Great to spend time with loved ones. Best feeling in the world to have my daughter copy my wicket taking celebrations. And yes don’t forget to take care of animals, they too deserve our love and care 🙂 pic.twitter.com/CKPhZd0BGD
— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) June 9, 2018
In one of the images, Afridi’s daughter is seen striking his famous victory pose before the big cat. It remains unclear whether Afridi actually owns the animals, but Twitter users were quick to point out the apparent animal cruelty and also express concern for his daughter’s safety.
Where is this? Come how there are wild animals in unnatural environment? Isnit legal?
— afia salam (@afiasalam) June 9, 2018
I’m absolutely appalled with what #ShahidAfridi is doing. You can’t keep a #lion out of its natural habitat all chained up & then claim that u r loving animals. The lion looks weak & so done with life. I feel so bad for it. #PETA #AnimalRights #cricket #Pakistan pic.twitter.com/IiphTknlhX
— Tigerlily aka Crinkle Kapadia (@mia__utopian) June 9, 2018
Former Pakistan PM fined with cash and selfie for speeding
Former Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was fined by traffic police for speeding Monday, with the offence costing him (Pakistan) Rs 750 and a selfie with police personnel.
Abbasi’s vehicle, with his driver at the wheel, was intercepted by police near Lahore’s Ravi Toll Plaza.
Abbasi came to power in August last year, after PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif was ousted as PM over corruption charges. He demitted office as a caretaker government took charge ahead of the country’s 25 July election.
SC directs Musharraf’s national ID, passport unblocked
The Supreme Court of Pakistan Monday ordered the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) to unblock the national identity card (NIC) and passport of former President General Pervez Musharraf (retd), reported The Express Tribune.
The order came after the NADRA chairperson told the court that Musharraf, a candidate in the upcoming general election and also on trial for treason, would not be able to return to Pakistan since his NIC was blocked.
“Musharraf should return to face the law,” said Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar.
The court also directed that a tribunal be constituted to oversee his return and ensure that he is not arrested during the process, reported Geo News.
Musharraf is currently in exile to avoid arrest on criminal charges, reported Business Today.
Pakistanis donate more than 1% of GDP during Ramzan: Study
A study has revealed that Pakistanis donate more than one per cent of the country’s GDP to charity during Ramzan, Samaa TV reported. Conducted by Stanford Social Innovation Review, the study also disclosed that about 98 per cent of the country’s people donated or volunteered during the Muslim month of fasting.
In a report last week, Dawn had pointed out that philanthropy had hit a new peak this Ramzan, with total donations expected to touch around Rs 173 billion.
Railways offers free Eid travel for senior citizens
Pakistan railways has announced free travel for passengers aged 65 and above during the first two days of Eid, reported The Express Tribune.
Railways caretaker minister Roshan Khursheed Bharucha told GeoTV, “Pakistan railways remains committed to providing safe, sound and efficient mode of journey to the country’s masses.”
Earlier this month, the transporter had announced a 30 per cent waiver on fares during the first two days of Eid.
No Akbar Zaidi articles in Dawn
Once bitten, twice shy? Pakistan’s oldest newspaper, Dawn, has refused to publish political economist S. Akbar Zaidi’s articles over “censorship issues”, reported Journalism Pakistan.
The newspaper informed Zaidi in a mail that the organisation had earlier faced trouble with the military and its agencies over “censorship problems”. An extract of the email available on social media cited the threats as “very serious”.
In October 2016, Dawn had published an ‘exclusive report’ on a purported meeting between the civil and military brass, where the former reportedly warned the latter to either crack down on militants or face international isolation. The government denied the report, following which the newspaper’s distribution was reportedly disrupted in many parts of the country and reporter Cyril Almeida briefly placed under a travel ban.
The Press Council of Pakistan had issued notice to Dawn at the time “for the alleged violation of the ethical code of practice”.
Contributors: Priyamvada Grover, Sharanya Munsi, Manisha Mondal, Hansa Kapoor, Prateek Gupta, Rupanwita Bhattacharjee and Alind Chauhan.