Bilawal’s campaign in NA 120 may not get any traction for PPP

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has announced leading election campaign in NA-120 for his party candidate. However, many political analysts opine that Bilawal’s campaign is not expected to attract many voters towards PPP.

PPP leader Shaukat Basra also conceded that the real fight in NA-120 will be between Tehreek-e-Insaf and PML-N. “I am a realistic person and I do accept the real fight will be between PTI and PMLN”, he said during an interview on a private television.

Faisal Mir is contesting election on PPP’s ticket in NA-120.

On the other hand, Dr. Yasmin Rashid of PTI started her election campaign as soon as the seat fell vacant after the ouster of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the Panama case. She has been on a door to door campaign in the constituency ever since.

PMLN earlier considered Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif for NA-120 seat, but later a change of mind led them to field Kulsoom Nawaz in his place instead. However, Ms. Nawaz has been undergoing cancer treatment in London and her daughter Maryam Nawaz will campaign on her behalf.

Dr. Yasmin lost by close to 40,000 votes against Nawaz Sharif in 2013 general elections in the same constituency.

Unbelievable facts about North Korea

While living in a democratic country, we take a lot of things for granted. We are so much accustomed to our freedom to choose whatever we think is best for us and our families, that we can not even imagine someone taking it away from us. We can get any haircut we want, watch whatever channel we want, no big deal. In fact it doesn’t even make sense why would someone discuss such basic human rights.

It turns out, North Korea, the country which is known for isolating itself from the rest of the world, has some weird restrictions even on the most trivial things, which will make you feel like you live in heaven. The country has never really made sense to the outsiders but today you’ll find out what exactly is wrong with this country.

TELEVISION

Normally we are used to going up and down through a long list of television channels, both local and foreign. Sure most of the channels are terrible and we never watch them but it’s good to have the freedom to watch them.

In North Korea there are only four television channels which are usually used as propaganda tools by the government. These channels air state sanctioned news and show the everyday happenings of the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un and his relatives, which are also known as educational segments.

If anyone is caught watching South Korean programs or with copies of foreign movies especially Hollywood movies, he will be punished heavily and there is a possibility they get executed as it is strictly illegal.

According to Kim Jong-un, they don’t want North Koreans to watch foreign programs and get any idea of a rebellion which happened in a few cases.

In 2014, 80 people were publicly executed for watching South Korean television shows and authorities forced around 10,000 people, including children, to watch the execution.

TRAVELLING

Every year thousands of people take a break from their busy lives and go on a vacation to relax. In normal countries we can go anywhere we like whenever we want as long as we can afford it.

Feel a little bored this summer? Go to Maldives or Sri Lanka or Malaysia! Feeling like seeing something lush and green? visit Croatia or Africa. The are many options.

Even a small weekend trip can help us get our stressed out routine out of your mind. Just go have fun and take some pictures. Nothing wrong or illegal with that.

That’s not the case with North Koreans. They are not allowed to walk out of North Korea because then they cannot be tracked or kept from things like television and everything else to keep them on track. Yes, you need a special permission from the government which is usually only given to governmental employees.

Even foreigners who visit North Korea are not allowed to do what they want. In fact, there are specific roads and places that they are allowed to use. A traveler must have a guide by their side at all time no matter what or the traveler can end up in jail. Also the guide can not be just any North Korean; s/he has to be sanctioned by the government.

There are many places in North Korea where you are not allowed to take pictures and risk your camera get confiscated. Even so, chances are that your camera is taken from you before you even leave the hotel. Yes taking pictures of certain places is illegal and you can end up in jail for that too.

HAIRSTYLES

Imagine if our governments controlled the style of our haircuts. Wouldn’t it be egregious?  In fact, most of us can’t even imagine our government forcing us to have a particular hair style or controlling the length of our hairs. I know it sounds ridiculous. Not in North Korea though. You do not have the liberty to choose just any haircut style there.

There seems to be equality in this department as both men and women have 15 state-approved hairstyles to choose from. Married women are supposed to keep their hair short while young girls can keep shoulder length bob haircuts. Performers however, are allowed to keep their hair longer. Men are supposed to keep the length of their hair under 2 inches while older men they can grow it up to 3 inches.

North Korean authorities strictly warn citizens against imitating capitalist styles. And what happens to those who deviate from this rule? Depends on the mood of Kim Jong-un at a particular moment; however, generally they are given detention and hard labor so that they don’t forget their lessons.

CLOTHES

North Koreans can end up in jail if they dared to wear jeans. Yes you heard it correctly, jeans and any western attire for that matter, are strictly banned because they are considered symbols of western society. Kim Jong-un, like his ancestors, has a grudge with United States of America since day one, thus anything that represents American culture is banned in North Korea.

Women usually wear loose trousers or a skirt that looks like they are from the 80’s. The fashion standards are understandably very low in the country as there not much variety to choose from. The only clothes that are worth wearing are from the smuggled stock, which too the government is trying hard to ban.

WOMEN AND THEIR LIVES

We usually argue about how women are treated in the Gulf and Morocco or the gender inequality in the world in general. We hear cases of rape and abuse but in North Korea it’s on a whole other level. Women in this ultra-conservative country are told since childhood that they are sinister creatures and are to pay for their crimes in the shape of their menstrual cycles. Their misery does not end here; pads and tampons have no existence in that weird place and women are supposed to survive with a piece of cloth and discard the clothes after washing them when no one is around.

Every single woman in North Korea is made to join army for at least seven years where they are treated badly, harassed and kept malnourished.

There is no concept of love there so marriages are arranged in order to bring two families to share their privileges. Even so, daughters are usually gifted to soldiers.

The worst part of this whole situation is that these women don’t even know that there is something wrong in all this. According to them this is how women are supposed to be treated. Due to no access to information about the outside world, they think this is how women are treated around the world.

Many women make a failed attempt to run away from this oppressive system. Only few lucky ones make it through the border to South Korea while rest continue to suffer without any hope of salvation in sight.

CONNECTION WITH OUTSIDE WORLD

North Korea is known for isolating itself from the world and has thus been successful in keeping its citizens under control of one regime. In this 21st century, we can google whatever we want; all we need is an internet connection. Any video that anyone else can watch, we can too. In North Korea, the internet is strictly under state control.

Only videos of Kim Jong-un were allowed to be played on YouTube before the website was completely banned in April 2016. Most of the video content in North Korea is usually about Kim Jong-un and the country’s military arsenal, or educational documentaries about his family.

You cannot chat with random people around the world like a normal person in a free world could. Even music is restricted. No Taylor Swift or Eminem is allowed in North Korea. Only North Korean music with patriotic songs about Kim Jong-un, his father and grandfather are allowed.

Pornography or possession of pornographic material is crime punishable by death as well as public humiliation. The internet is always under survey and so are phone calls. A citizen can be gunned down in ten minutes if one attempts to make an international call. It has happened in the past. Nobody is allowed to make international calls to anyone.

RELIGION

North Korea is known as a communist state which is technically not true. The country’s ideology is Juche, or Kimilsungism, which is based on self-reliance. It is like some of us are dying for our religion or killing others in the name of our religion, North Korea again is on another level. It bans anyone and everyone from practicing any kind of religion or believing in any kind of god thus there are no churches, mosques, shrines or temples in North Korea.

DIFFERENCE OF CENTURY

Yes, North Korea even defies the world when it comes to the year they are in. While it is 2017 for the rest of the world, for North Koreans, it’s the year 105. Their calendar year starts from the birth date of their leader, Kim Il-sung, who they call their eternal leader. He was born on 15th April 1912 and thus the time of North Korea begins with its leader’s birth.

There are a lot of other things about North Korea that will blow your mind away; however, this should be enough for today. Nonetheless, no matter what one says, North Korea is way beyond our imagination, and it is this peculiarity that makes one curious to visit this reclusive country.

The mystery of the killer “Blue Whale” game

In today’s world almost everyone has a phone. Hundreds of different phone models are available and as many games are developed each day. With so many choices available, almost everyone seems to be addicted to playing some kind of game on their mobile phone. Some are addicted to Candy Crush and Ludo Star, while others are hooked on FIFA and games like Pokémon Go. If there is nothing else to do, we always have a game to play on our phones no matter where we are.

While most of the games are available to public all around the world, there are games that are not publicly available. Such games, in fact, choose you as its victim. Yes you can only be part of a game by being CHOSEN by the administrator.

Recently a game has taken the world by storm after it was disclosed by a journalist in Russia. The game “blue whale’’ is known to have killed many teenagers by making them commit suicide. The ‘curators’ or the ‘taskmasters’ would look for hashtags like #i_am_whale #bluewhalechallenge #curatorfindme on social media and then decide which one to choose as its victims.

So how can a game make a person commit suicide? That’s a very important question.

The blue whale is a game where the administrator gives you various challenges on daily basis for 50 days which you have to complete. Although initially, the game involves some simple tasks like listening to music or taking a walk but most of the tasks are very dangerous.

The challenges include self mutilation, waking up earlier, climbing buildings and cranes, craving on the person own arm or hand, poking needles into one’s body, standing in dangerous places, use a knife or razor to make the shape of a whale on their wrist or leg, killing animals and filming it, watching psychedelic horror videos in the middle of the night sent by the administrator, and ending on the last task of committing suicide.

The game was first unearthed in 2013 in Russia after a few teenagers took their own lives to fulfill the last challenge. Panic over the online challenge was prompted by the death of two teenagers. The girls, aged 15 to 16, took their lives by jumping off of buildings and roofs.

A victim named Yulia, 15, uploaded a blue whale picture on social media with the caption “end” on which a fellow player Veronika, 16, who also took her life by jumping off a roof, commented “sense is lost…end”.

This game is not just taking lives in Russia, in fact, there have been cases reported from India, Brazil, USA, Argentina, Bulgaria, China, Chile, and many other countries.

Russian officials arrested the creator of this game, Philipp Budeikin, in May this year; however, the game hasn’t stopped spreading. The game has reportedly taken 130 lives who were all teenagers. During investigation, the curator admitted to have personally encouraged at least 16 teenagers to commit suicide. He denies having any role in other suicides.

Budeikin, a former psychology student who was expelled from his university, said during an interview that he gave those people the understanding and contact they needed and thus made them commit suicide. He claimed his victims died very happily.

Budeikin told a Russian newspaper that “there are people and there is a biological waste. those who do not represent any value for society. Such people will only cause harm to society.”

“I was cleaning our society of such people”, he explained.

When asked if he was deliberately trying to make the young victims commit suicide, he replied that he “truly” was doing that and also added “don’t worry, you’ll understand everything. Everyone will understand.”

Budeikin has been sentenced to three years in jail which according to many is a very soft sentence for murder. There had been two other arrests related to the game with one being a female from Kamchatka, Russia.

Budeikin was just the creator of the game. He has many administrators in his “death group” and even after his sentence, the game is spreading like wild fire among teenagers. It’s high time we keep a close eye on our youngsters so they do not get trapped in the vicious circle of such psycho games.

More hurricanes: is America under attack of nature?

Hurricanes, tornadoes and the United States of America have a long history. Hurricane Katrina and hurricane Wilma made quite a show of their damages. Tornadoes are a usual scene in most of the country side of the continent. Nature hasn’t really been nice to the super power. It doesn’t end here.

The follow up hurricanes after Katrina and Wilma are its example. First came hurricane Harvey on Texas. It was a major hurricane after hurricane Wilma which caused landfall in the United States. With 40 inches of rain in eastern Texas, Harvey is known to have ended a record 12 year drought and the heaviest downpour in the history of United States.

Thousands of homes were destroyed and more than 30,000 people were displaced. The hurricane has reportedly sunk earth’s crust by 2 cm.

Explosions were reported in 2 chemical plants in the north east of Houston leaving many hospitalized due to coming in contact with dangerous chemicals. A total of 71 people were reportedly killed in this hurricane followed around $200 billion economic losses, most of which were sustained by uninsured homeowners.

The hurricane Harvey started on August 17 and continued its streak of havoc and destruction till 2nd September. Windward Islands, Suriname, Guyana, Nicaragua, Honduras, Belize, Yucatán Peninsula, Texas, Louisiana were all badly affected by the hurricane. But this does not end here.

Harvey is closely followed by by hurricane Irma. This hurricane took over the Caribbean Island leaving nothing but destruction behind. The storm took speed on Wednesday destroying several small islands and went straight towards Florida. Irma with its 185 mph wind speed completely mowed the island of Barbuda.

A professional teenage surfer was reported dead while trying to catch waves near the island of Barbuda. The houses were completely eradicated and hotels were flooded with rain water. The hurricane followed up towards Netherlands, France completely destroying St. Martin. Not a single building could withstand the strong wind of hurricane Irma.

Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Cuba are on high alert and thousands of people have evacuated the area while hurricane Irma makes its way towards Florida. Officials in Puerto Rico warned its people of the coming hurricane the announcement ended on “may god help us all.”

And that’s not even the worst part. While half of America is recovering from Harvey and Irma, two more hurricanes are feared to follow up. Hurricane Jose and Katia. While the category 4 storms Irma is making its way towards Florida, hurricane Jose is turning a dangerous shape in the Atlantic and preparing to hit areas already destroyed by Irma. Hurricane Katia is expected to strike Mexico and areas around it.

On Friday, hurricane Jose was reportedly turning to become a category 3 storm located 535 miles east of Antilles islands having a speed of 125 mph. Katia was located 170 miles southeast of Tampico, Mexico and is stationery at the moment, but is expected to come into action by next week.

While all of this is up and one storm is closely followed up by another, could this be a way of mother nature to make President Trump into taking global warming more seriously?

SSUET excels in Independence Day Swimming contest

The Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology (SSUET) excelled in the Independence Day Open Swimming Championship staged at the Defence Authority Creek Club to celebrate the 70th Independence Day of Pakistan.

The SSUET took three medals in the event which was jointly organized by the Defence Authority Creek Club and the Pakistan Marine Academy. Mohammad Ahmed claimed silver medal in 50m freestyle and bronze medal in 50m butterfly while Hyder earned bronze in 100m breaststroke.

The Convener of the Aligarh Institute of Technology (AIT), Engr Syed Anwer Ali, who is also the Vice President of the Aligarh Muslim University Old Boys Association (AMUOBA), honoured the members of the SSUET swimming team and congratulated them on their worthy efforts in the open championship contested by 14 institutes from all over the province.


The Sindh Sports Minister, Sardar Mohammad Baksh Khan Maher, was the chief guest in the prize
distribution ceremony which was also attended by Secretary of the Defence Authority Creek Club, Brig Sajid Iqbal Jadoon, and Commodore Akbar Naqi, Commandant, Pakistan Marine Academy.

The Independence Day Open Swimming Championship was recognized as a success story by the participants and the hosts were appreciated for having conducted the event nicely.

In fact the Sindh Sports Minister was so much impressed with the facilities at the venue and he considered it to be an ideal host for future swimming competitions.

Cake cutting also took place and it was followed by a flag retrieving ceremony, conducted with traditional fervor and enthusiasm.

Rumman Raees sets SSUET alight

The Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology (SSUET) was set alight by the visit of left-arm fast bowler Rumman Raees, one of the heroes of the ICC Champions Trophy Cricket Tournament 2017, as part of the celebrations of Pakistan’s 70th Independence Day.

The Convener of the Aligarh Institute of Technology (AIT), Engr Syed Anwer Ali, who is also the Vice President of the Aligarh Muslim University Old Boys Association (AMUOBA), greeted the cricket hero and described him as a role model for the youngsters.

Engr Anwer Ali, himself an all-round cricketer of merit, lavishly praised the performance of Pakistan’s cricket team which saw them win the Champions Trophy in England against all odds.


Rumman Raees, who was one of three debutants in the tournament, performed exceedingly well in
his only appearance and he was very rightly hailed as one of the heroes.

“It’s in the fitness of things that the Champions Trophy winning Pakistani cricketers returned home to a heroic welcome wherever they went around. It was heartening to watch the fans thronging the airports and gathering outside their residences to celebrate the triumph,” Engr Anwar Ali reckoned.

“All the members of the team deserved credit for having made the nation proud with their outstanding performance. From skipper Sarfraz Ahmed down to Rumman Raees all of them deserve to be hailed as heroes,” he added.

“The presence of Rumman Raees here at the SSUET has thrilled us and what an occasion he has chosen to be with us. His presence in the Independence Day celebrations has made all of us excited and ecstatic,” Engr Anwar Ali complimented.

Rumman Raees is a welcome addition to the list of high quality left-arm fast bowlers produced by Pakistan. He had come to the limelight in the inaugural edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) in 2016 and he was duly rewarded with Pakistan debut in a T20 International against West Indies later the same year.


He turned out to one of the star performers of the second edition of the PSL in 2017 during which he
picked up no less than a dozen wickets in just seven matches. He was chosen for the limited-overs leg of Pakistan's West Indies tour in April 2017 but was originally omitted from the Champions Trophy squad.

It was the injury to Wahab Riaz during the course of the event in England which created a vacancy and Rumman Raees was drafted in as replacement.

He made his memorable debut in One-day Internationals in the high voltage semifinal against England after Mohammad Aamir had to pull out at the eleventh hour due to back problems.

SSUET clinches tug of war contest

The Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology (SSUET) emerged victorious in the Independence Day tug of war competition organized by the Karachi Tug of War Association (KTWA) at the Customs Sports Complex housed in Federal-B-Area.

The SSUET won the Independence Day contest by overpowering Central Fitness Club who was soundly beaten in a couple of successive rounds.

The Convener AIT, Engr Syed Anwer Ali, who is also the Vice President of the Aligarh Muslim University Old Boys Association (AMUOBA), was the chief guest in the prize distribution ceremony.

Engr Anwer Ali, himself an active sportsman, praised the efforts of the organizers in promoting the sport of tug of war which is an ancient athletic contest between two teams who haul at the opposite ends of a rope.

He spoke about the significance of sports in building a healthy society, urging all the stakeholders to work jointly to achieve the common goal.

The Secretary of the Sindh Olympic Association (SOA), Ahmed Ali Rajput, also attended the presenting ceremony alngwith the officials of the KTWA.

چپ چاپ گھر کے صحن میں فاقے بچھا دئیے

چپ چاپ گھر کے صحن میں فاقے بچھا دئیے

روزی رساں سے ہم نے گلہ کچھ نہیں کیا

مانگی نہیں کسی سے بھی ہمدردیوں کی بھیک

ساجدؔ کبھی خلاف انا کچھ نہیں کیا

کیوں گرفتہ دل نظر آتی ہے اے شامِ فراق

کیوں گرفتہ دل نظر آتی ہے اے شامِ فراق

ہم جو تیرے ناز اُٹھانے کے لیے موجود ہیں

پیشِ پا افتادہ قریے ٫ سربرآوردہ شجر

سو بہانے دل لگانے کے لیے موجود ہیں

SSUET edges out Virtual University in Independence Day Table Tennis series

The Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology (SSUET) edged out the Virtual University by two matches to one in the Independence Day Table Tennis series staged at the SSUET Gymnasium Hall.

The Convener of the Aligarh Institute of Technology (AIT), Engr Syed Anwer Ali, also the Vice President of the Aligarh Muslim University Old Boys Association (AMUOBA), was the chief guest in the prize distribution ceremony.

In his brief address on the occasion, Engr Anwer Ali, hailed as one of the pillars of the AMUOBA, recalled the sacrifices of the millions of Muslims of South Asia in the creation of Pakistan.


“The Independence Day reminds us of the great sacrifices of our ancestors who had made the
creation of Pakistan possible. We salute them for having braved the toughest of circumstances and endured pains of all kinds for the sake of the newly founded country. We have derived inspiration from their selfless acts and I hope that our future generations will continue to be inspired by their services,” Engr Anwar Ali remarked.

Himself a former first-class cricketer of high pedigree, he touched about the need to inculcate the famous Aligarhian sporting spirit among the youth of the country for letting them excel in sports as well as academics. The three-match table tennis series turned out be an absorbing one.

The SSUET drew the first blood by winning the first match in straight sets but the Virtual University bounced back in the next match to set up an interesting decider. The third and final match was clinched by the hosts who also pocketed the series.