Weekly News Round-Up (27th March – 4th April)
This week in the news, find out how Pakistanis are making waves globally in all walks of life, what to expect from Pakistan’s political landscape in the next few days and more! Read on to find out all the news you’ve missed this week.
Ramadan Mubarak!
Muslims in Pakistan welcome their first Roza and the Holy month of Ramadan on the 3rd of April. The Ruet-i-Hilal Committee announced on Saturday evening that the Ramazan moon had been sighted and the first of the holy month would fall on Sunday. “The climate was clear at a number of places in Pakistan and we received moon-sighting testimonies from Lahore, Islamabad, Narowal, Sialkot, Kasur, Pakpattan, Kharian among others,” Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee chairman Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad said.
Imran Khan De-Notified As Prime Minister Of Pakistan
PTI Chairman Imran Khan has been de-notified as the prime minister of Pakistan, a statement from the Cabinet Division said Sunday after the dissolution of the National Assembly. However, under Article 224 of the Constitution of Pakistan — once a notification is issued — Imran Khan can continue as the prime minister for 15 days till the appointment of a caretaker prime minister. There is still, however, no clarity over how a caretaker prime minister will be appointed as the National Assembly has been dissolved — and the people who appoint the person, the Opposition Leader in the National Assembly and the premier, are no longer in office. If Imran Khan continues to be the prime minister for selected days, he will not be empowered to make decisions that an elected head of the government can make.
Pakistan Secures Historic ODI Series Win Against Australia After 2 Decades
On Saturday, the 2nd of April, Pakistan beat Australia by nine wickets and won their first ODI series against the Australian cricket team in 20 years on their home turf at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. However, Pakistan’s historic win was amplified when the team’s captain, Babar Azam became the quickest batsman in the world to reach his 15th ODI hundred! He also bagged a second-place spot on the list for the ‘Most ODI Hundreds In Pakistan’ – 16 in 84 innings, just behind Saeed Anwar at 20 in 244 innings! Exceptional performances were delivered by the team and we congratulate them on this historic victory!
Pakistan Pavilion At The Dubai Expo 2020 Wins The Burj CEO Award For The “Best Pavilion Exterior Design”
We’re glad to announce that the Pakistani Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, has won the best exterior design award! “Pakistan Pavilion has won the BURJ CEO Award for ‘Best Pavilion Exterior Design’,” the pavilion’s official Twitter account said. “We are happy to celebrate the award,” it added. The win comes days after Rashid Rana, the designer of the pavilion, received Sitara-e-Imtiaz recently on March 23, 2022, which is the third-highest civilian award in Pakistan for his contributions in the field of art and design.
Boxers Asif Hazara & Usman Wazeer Successfully Defend International Titles
Boxers Asif Hazara and, Usman Wazeer made Pakistan proud earlier last month when they successfully defended their international titles in the Dubai fight. Asif Hazara defended his Asian Boxing Federation title, which he’d won last year and bagged the event by a majority decision as he won nine out of ten rounds. Meanwhile, the 21-year-old Usman Wazeer, nicknamed ‘The Asian Boy’, is a product of Amir Khan Boxing Academy, also defended World Boxing Council WBC. HE is currently an undefeated welterweight boxer and holds the Asian Boxing Federation (ABF) Asian title – being the first Pakistani to hold the title.
Enaam Ahmed Becomes The First Pakistani To Finish Second At The Indy Pro 2000 Series
Last month, 22-year-old-racer Enaam Ahmed became the first Pakistani to finish second in the opening season of the Indy Pro 2000 series, a mega car racing event held in Florida. Enaam had previously won the 2017 BRDC British Formula 3 Championship. He took to Instagram and said, “Race 1 was great with finishing 2nd! I didn’t finish Race 2 unfortunately. Overall a really good weekend showing how strong our pace was in every session. I’m looking forward to fighting for the rest of the year”. Good luck Enaam, we’re rooting for you!
Kashaf Alvi Becomes The Yougest Deaf Pakistani To Receive The ‘Pride of Pakistan’ Award
On the 23rd of March, Kashaf Alvi was awarded the ‘Pride of Pakistan’ award – an honour gifted by the country’s military that recognizes outstanding individuals for their work and efforts. At 18, Kashaf Alvi is presumably the youngest Pakistani deaf person to receive Microsoft’s certified associate badge and the esteemed ‘Pride of Pakistan’ award. In his recent book titled, ‘The Language of Paradise,’ he illustrates the challenges he has faced as a deaf person. He states, “The book contained my experiences about life, achievements, challenges, and feelings. I wanted to share it with the world to motivate other people like me to come forward and work hard to achieve their goals.” Currently, Kashaf Alvi is preparing for his English language exam to apply to study in Sweden and we wish him luck!
Pakistan Launches Its First E-Passport
On Wednesday, the 30th of March, PM Imran Khan launched Pakistan’s first e-passport service. The e-passport has an electronic chip embedded in it which will make the process of biometric verification seamless. 29 additional security features have also been added to the e-passport and it is the biggest up-gradation of Pakistani travel documents since 2004. However, currently, the e-passport facility is only available for diplomatic and government officials.
Syed Iftikhar Ahmed, Beloved Host of PTV’s ‘Boltay Haath’ Passes Away
Syed Iftikhar Ahmed alongside his wife Rehana Iftikhar designed and hosted ‘Boltay Haath’ in 1984. The show broadcasted on PTV used sign language to reach out to people with speaking and hearing disabilities and had a successful run. News of Ahmed’s demise was shared by his daughter, actor Madiha Iftikhar on Instagram on March 29. “Today my prayers for my father’s health turned into prayers for my father to be granted Paradise,” she wrote. “Indeed, to Allah we belong and to Allah we shall return.” The industry has lost one of its greatest gems, may Allah grant him the highest rank in Jannah, Ameen.
Arooj Aftab Becomes The First Pakistani Woman To Win A Grammy & Makes Global News Headlines
Arooj Aftab bagged a Grammy for her rendition of “Mohabbat” in the Best Global Performance category. This makes her the first-ever Pakistani woman to win this prestigious award. She was nominated in two categories; ‘Best New Artist’ & ‘Best Global Performance’ – making her the first Pakistani woman to be nominated in the Best New Artist category as well. She was ecstatic when accepting the Grammy & stated, “I think I’m gonna faint. Wow, thank you so much. I feel like this category in and of itself has been so insane, thank you so much to everyone who helped me make this record, all my incredible collaborators, for following me and making this music I made about everything that broke me and put me back together. Thank you for listening to it and making it yours,” she added. Congratulations Arooj and full steam ahead!
Mehreen Jabbar’s 90s Telefilm ‘Farar’ Gets Its Web Series Revival
Film director Mehreen Jabbar’s 90s telefilm ‘Farar’ is back after 25 years and fans will be able to stream it this year on Zee5. The original telefilm chronicled a tale of three friends cruising through the streets of Karachi, trying to break free from the mundane and find their purpose in life. The new cast includes actors Sarwat Gilani, Tooba Siddiqui, Mariam Saleem, Maha Hasan, Zahid Ahmed and Saleem Meraj. While breaking the news on Instagram, Mehreen Jabbar stated, “Twenty-five years later, three friends trying to get by and shine in the glorious and mad city that is Karachi. From old ‘Farar’ to a new ‘Farar’. Coming this year”. We’re super excited about the project and wish the team all the best!
