Pakistan

SHC orders removal of defamatory social media content against Mehwish Hayat

Published

1 year ago

Farwa

Mehwish Hayat says accusers should be punished.
Says she approached FIA but no action was taken.
Court issues notice to FIA, PTA.

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday ordered the relevant authorities to remove scandalous and defamatory content on social media against television actress Mehwish Hayat.

Mehwish approached the SHC over a campaign being run against her on social media due to insinuations made by a YouTuber against actresses.

On December 31, YouTuber and retired army officer Adil Farooq Raja, who is based in the United Kingdom currently, levelled serious allegations against some actresses by mentioning their initials — S.A, K.K, M.H and H.K.

Netizens attached the initials to Mehwish, Kubra and Sajal Aly forcing them to respond to the allegations on social media.

The court issued notices to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). It also sought an answer from both parties within two weeks.

During the hearing, the petitioner’s lawyer Khawaja Naveed said that a person named Adil Raja is levelling allegations against her.

Mehwish said that Raja had withdrawn his allegations against Kubra Khan.

“He has mentioned my name as M.H.,” she told the court.

The petitioner said that those who made fake accusations are “mentally ill”, urging the court that she wants them to be punished.

Mehwish said that she also approached the FIA, however, no action is being taken.

The lawyer said that the accusers should be punished.

Speaking to media persons after the hearing, Mehwish said that her patience has run out.

“I and my family are going through mental agony because of the rumours,” she said.

The actress said that there were sick-minded people on social media and their hobby was to insult artists.

Mehwish remained hopeful of getting justice.

Kubra’s plea

Last week, Kubra filed a petition in the high court against Raja, saying that the YouTuber had made false allegations against four actresses of the media industry degrading them and causing an affront to their modesty and dignity by alleging that they were used by agencies to lure politicians into compromising positions at safe houses.

A counsel for the petitioner submitted that Raja, later on, uploaded another video where he clarified the issue and retracted from his earlier version. However, it had irreparably damaged actresses’ reputations, including the petitioner, during the process on account of the contents uploaded on social media sites and cyberspace, added the counsel.

The counsel submitted that the act of the YouTuber was strictly cognisable under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016 (PECA).

The court directed the FIA and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to block such channels and handles involved in circulating defamatory campaigns against the actresses and remained vigilant in this regard.

SHC asks Kubra to cooperate with FIA

A day earlier, while taking up Kubra’s petition again, the SHC asked the starlet to cooperate with the inquiry being carried out by the FIA.

The FIA submitted a report on the campaign against the television actress, stating that the agency had started a probe into the matter.

The agency confirmed that it had forwarded the case to the PTA and provided the alleged YouTube, Instagram and Twitter accounts to the telecommunication authority’s focal person.

Business

Price of LPG “slashed” by Rs. 20 per kilogram

Published

7 hours ago

Farwa

Sources claim that LPG rates have been lowered by Rs 20, making the cost per kilogram drop from Rs 280 to Rs 260.

It is noteworthy to remark that the costs of LPG were reduced by Rs 20 per kilogram earlier, resulting in a total reduction of Rs 40 per kilogram within a few weeks.

The price of liquefied petroleum gas for the month of May 2024 was lowered by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) on April 30.

The LPG tariffs were lowered by Rs 11.88 to Rs 238.46 per kilogram in accordance with the OGRA’s notice. On Wednesday, May 1, 2024, the new rates will go into effect.

In April of last year, the price per kilogram of LPG was Rs 250.34. pricing reduction of Rs 140.18 has resulted in a new pricing for home LPG cylinders set for May 2024 of Rs 2813.85.

The OGRA reported a drop in liquefied petroleum gas pricing in April. The price of LPG is now Rs 250.34 per kg instead of Rs 256.78 due to a reduction of Rs 6.44 per kg.

The price of the household cylinder was fixed at Rs 2954.03 for the month of April, down from Rs 3030.12, a decrease of Rs 76.9.

Business

ADB delegation stops by FBR headquarters

Published

7 hours ago

Farwa

Senior Director ADB Tariq Niazi oversaw the expedition, which also involved Sana Masood, Farzana Noshab, and Senior Public Sector Management Specialist Laisiasa Tora. The meeting included presentations from economists as well, according to an FBR press release.

The officers focused on structural and policy adjustments as they discussed the Domestic Resource Mobilization Program’s implementation at the meeting.

$300 million was given to the Pakistani government by ADB in December 2023 as a result of the hard work and dedication of FBR. Better laws, regulations, and institutional capability for the FBR were established by Sub-Program I.

With the $300 million in funding provided by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to the Government of Pakistan in December 2023, the delegation conveyed satisfaction with the program’s effective launch.

The FBR also underlined how crucial digitization is to recording the economy and boosting productivity in a sustainable way.

In order to promote the Government of Pakistan’s Digital Tax Administration Project, both parties decided to look into measures to improve their cooperation.

Latest News

Off-duty police in Islamabad are prohibited from donning uniforms.

Published

7 hours ago

Farwa

The new directives, according to specifics, were sent via wireless by the federal capital police and state that no officer may wear a uniform when reporting for duty or leaving it.

According to the police official, uniforms will only be worn when on duty; otherwise, two policemen will accompany each other during duty hours and will always be required to carry guns.

A different development was the earlier release of an app by the Islamabad Police with the goal of improving crime prevention and public safety.

Launched on the orders of former Interior Minister Sarfraz Akbar Bugti, the recently released ICT-15 app aims to empower the people of the capital city by giving them the ability to actively engage in the battle against crime and protect their areas.

Residents of Islamabad can now easily download and utilize the ICT-15 app because it is easily accessible on the Google Play Store.

Citizens can report a variety of issues with this easy-to-use application, such as incidents, unlawful behavior, complaints against law enforcement, the presence of undocumented people, or any suspicious criminal activity.

The police promise quick reaction times as soon as information is reported using the app, so assistance will be provided as quickly as feasible.