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Who paid for your Mexican getaway? Former foreign minister asks Imran Khan’s family

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Here’s what is happening across the border: Reham Khan bombarded with uncomfortable questions, and a Bollywood star’s ‘identity crisis’.

Imran Khan ex-wife Jemina’s Mexican holiday riles Khwaja Asif

The controversy over a trip to Mexico by Pakistan Prime Minister-elect Imran Khan’s family refuses to die down.

A photograph from the trip was earlier tweeted by politician Ghinwa Bhutto, the widow of former PM Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s son Murtaza, with the claim that the family was on a trip to the “apartheid state” of Israel.

Khan’s ex-wife, who took the trip with their sons, hit back, clarifying that they were in Mexico.

But barely had Bhutto apologised that former foreign minister Khawaja Asif, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), stoked a fresh row, asking on Twitter if the trip was free, reported Dunya News.

 Benazir Bhutto’s plaque back at London high commission

A plaque of former Pakistan PM Benazir Bhutto has reclaimed its pride of place at the country’s high commission in London, four years after it was removed by former envoy Ibne Abbas for unknown reasons, reported The News.

The plaque was reinstalled by Pakistan’s new high commissioner to the United Kingdom, Sahebzada Ahmed Khan, who took charge earlier this year. It was first put up in 2010, three years after Bhutto’s assassination, by Wajid Shamsul Hasan. The plaque was meant to commemorate the fact that it was Bhutto who gave the go-ahead to purchase three properties in London’s Lowndes Square, where the high commission stands, for Pakistan in 1996.

Reham Khan accosted at London park

Pakistan journalist Reham Khan, an ex-wife of PM-elect Imran Khan, is earning praise online for her calm response to a woman who accosted her at a London park. The woman also filmed the interaction, which has now gone viral.

The journalist has emerged as an object of revulsion for Khan’s supporters on account of her recent tell-all memoirs that claim to make several unflattering observations about the former cricketer.

Adopting a confrontational tone, the woman asked Reham questions like “are you jealous of Bushra Bibi (Imran’s wife) because she became the first lady of Pakistan” and “do you plan to join any political party”.

Reham chose to stay calm the entire time, even answering the questions. She said she had no plans to join politics and was “happy for Bushra Bibi”.

“I am very happy to not stand next to a man I do not respect, so I don’t want to be the first lady. It is not that important,” she added.

Amid this confusion, the woman’s son, who seemed to be fuming at the onslaught, walked away.

The woman then asked Reham why it was Imran and not she who filed for divorce. “You must read the book, I will send you a free copy,” Reham replied.

As the video was shared by thousands of users, a lot of people described the harassment as uncalled for.

 

 A first: Bank account for transgender on transgender ID

Pakistan’s First Women Bank has opened the country’s first-ever account based on an ID card identifying the customer as transgender, reported Geo TV. A spokesperson for the bank said they “will open more accounts for the transgender community”.

“In 2009, Pakistan became one of the first countries in the world which gave legal recognition to a third gender. The move allowed the members of the transgender community to obtain identity cards,” the report added.

First lawmaker of African descent set to take oath

Tanzeela Qambrani, 39, is set to enter the Sindh assembly as Pakistan’s first ever lawmaker of African descent. She has been nominated to a seat reserved for women by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), reports BBC.

Qambrani is a postgraduate in computer science from the Sidi community, whose members are believed to be descendants of east Africans brought to the subcontinent by the Portuguese.

“As a tiny minority lost in the midst of local populations, we have struggled to preserve our African roots and cultural expression, but I look forward to the day when the name Sidi will evoke respect, not contempt,” Qambrani told the BBC.

90% of Pakistanis seeking asylum in Germany rejected for ‘lies’

Pakistanis seeking asylum in Germany have a very thin chance of succeeding, as the majority of applications are rejected within weeks for being “groundless”, reported The Nation.

An official of the German Asylum and Refugees Protection office said Pakistanis had “almost a zero success rate”.

Out of the 20,000 Pakistan nationals who applied for asylum this year, 90 per cent were rejected, the report added.

“Pakistani applicants mostly lie about their issues and are unable to prove their claims,” said the official.

Russian training for Pakistan troops

A new agreement between Pakistan and Russia will allow Pakistani soldiers to train at Russian military institutes, reported Dawn.
The agreement was signed after the first meeting of the Russia-Pakistan Joint Military Consultative Committee (JMCC) Tuesdayin Rawalpindi, following talks between Pakistan defence secretary Lt Gen Zamirul Hassan Shah (Retd) and Russia deputy defence minister Col Gen Alexander Fomin.

Two more all-girls’ schools set on fire

Two girls’ schools were set on fire Tuesday night by unidentified assailants in Balochistan’s Tehsil Khanozai area, reported Dawn. However, there were no casualties as the schools were shut when the episode took place.

Just last week, 12 schools, six of them all-girls’, were set on fire in Gilgit-Baltistan’s Diamer district. Initial investigations into the earlier case suggest the attacks were carried out “in an organised manner”.

FM-to-be suggests ‘ishq’ as cure for ailing economy, slammed

Pakistan’s finance minister-to-be Asad Umar is courting online ridicule for his suggestion that the country’s problems, including its ailing economy, could be made better with “ishq”.

Journalist Marvi Sirmed and columnist Mohammad Taqi were among those who lashed out at him on Twitter.

 A new, unlikely beginning for Bollywood actor Imran Khan

Bollywood star Imran Khan – known best for rom-coms like Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na and I Hate Luv Storys – received an emailTuesday that caused the internet much amusement.

A Pakistani citizen mistakenly wrote to him instead of Pakistan’s Prime Minister-elect Imran Khan, to whom the email was addressed. The email read:

“Dear Prime Minister Imran Khan sahib,

Successful leader takes right decision at right time. He recognises true friends and supporters and selects faithful team members. Now it is ten years long governance and I want to join your team on the very first day (sic).”

As the Bollywood star shared a screenshot of the email on his Instagram page, he played along, with the caption saying, “I guess I can no longer ignore the call to action. Gonna start drafting some policy outlines this week, I’ll keep you guys updated.”

The post Tuesday saw over 14 thousand likes in just three hours, and Instagrammers couldn’t get enough. “How are you planning to tackle the unemployment rate Mr prime minister?” commented one user. “Congratulations on your victory Imran sir may your governance speak just like ur movies (sic),” said another.


Contributors: Alind Chauhan, Anagha Deshpande, Soniya Agrawal, Simran Sirur, Priyamvada Grover,Prateek Gupta, Manisha Mondal and Rupanwita Bhattacharjee

 

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