As the last day of the Punjabi festival of Basant approaches, children and adults alike are engaged in kite flying and cutting the strings. The streets of Lahore are filled with the vibrant colours of Basant, as people indulge in delicious food and display humility towards each other. Visitors from other cities and abroad have also joined in the fun, flying their kites in the sky.
Senior Punjab Minister, Mian Muhammad Aslam Iqbal, was also seen flying a kite, as was political leader, Fawad Chaudhry, who celebrated the festival in Lahore and praised the government’s efforts. Senator Pervez Rashid of the ruling party, PML-N, was quoted as saying, “What did you expect? This is the outcome of what you have done.”
Professor Muhammad Masroor, treasurer of the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan, has refuted recent allegations made against him in the British media, including the British Medical Journal and the Daily Mail. He termed the allegations as “baseless, misleading, and contrary to facts.”
The International Defence Exhibition in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, saw participation from 80 countries, including Pakistan. Federal Minister for Energy, Omar Ayub Khan, stated that the price of industrial electricity in Pakistan is now closer to that of other countries in the region.
Opposition leader, Senator Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, held the Islamabad Police and Ministry of Interior accountable for the blast that occurred in a mosque. Federal Minister for Finance, Shaukat Tarin, met with the Managing Director of the World Bank, Anna Calvi Bardin, in Saudi Arabia, as part of the World Economic Forum.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami, expressed his concerns about the recent wave of terrorism. Federal Minister for Information, Fawad Chaudhry, stated that the opposition should take a lesson from the current situation. The Minister also praised the successful talks between the three-party alliance, MQM-P, PTI, and BAP, which were held at 9 PM last night, but were extended further.
The Emirati Cricket Board has reportedly contacted the Pakistan Cricket Board, seeking a review of the decision to boycott the match against India on February 15. MQM leader, Nusrat Jaliwala, stated that the party had given up its seats to the PTI in 2018, only to see the Jamaat-e-Islami’s candidate win on MQM-P’s seat. Senator Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri held the Islamabad Police and Ministry of Interior accountable for the mosque blast.
