Wishing Yemenis well?
Daily Dunya (07 May 2018) quoted the Saudi ambassador to Yemen, Mohammed al-Jaber, as saying that the Houthis in Yemen wanted to establish Hezbollah-style rule in Yemen. He opined that the Houthis wanted a continuation of Iranian policies in Yemen, because of which the people of that country were subject to hunger and poverty and emphasised Saudi efforts to increase imports into that country.
Exit strategy
The PPP’s Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, according to Daily Dunya (07 May 2018), called upon Nawaz Sharif to get on a rocket and go to outer space if he wanted to take on extraterrestrial beings (khalai makhlooq). He further added that humans live on Earth, not in space.
Campaign against secularism
Daily Jang (07 May 2018) reported that speakers at a party workers’ convention of the Jamiat Ulema Pakistan claimed that in the coming elections, secular forces would face a defeat.
A scientific take
According to Daily Jang (07 May 2018), the PPP’s Khurshid Shah opined that scientists also acknowledge extraterrestrials (khalai makhlooq) – they live in the skies and are not visible. He added that they have a stake (hissa) in elections.
Turning the tables
Nawaz Sharif was quoted by Daily Jang (07 May 2018) as saying that some people were out to get him, but that the people should to get those people instead (jo loog meray peechay parray hein, awam unkay peechay parr jaein). He added that he had refused to bow down his head, and he hoped the people would walk with him in the same way.
Mutton heist
Daily Dunya (08 May 2018) reported that there was a lack of witnesses against a policeman accused of eating a citizen’s goat. The policeman, allegedly, caught a man who sells goats for a living while the latter was out looking for one of his animals that had escaped. Allegedly, the policeman, in a state of intoxication, not only took away 22,000 rupees from the goat’s owner, but also took the animal itself, claiming that he had guests coming over.
Busted
According to Daily Dunya (08 May 2018), police in Mustafa Abad arrested two men who owned a mobile phone shop and were accused of uploading indecent films and songs (fohsh gaanay aur behooda filmein) onto the devices that were in their care.
Falling out
It was reported by Daily Dunya (08 May 2018) that Bilawal Bhutto Zardari spoke out on Nawaz Sharif and the extraterrestrial beings that he referred to. According to Bilawal, if they assist Nawaz, then he considers them good (Bhalai makhlooq), and if they refuse to help him then they become aliens (khalai makhlooq) for him.
Dancing prohibited
According to a report in Daily Dunya (09 May 2018), the Governor of KP took notice of a dance party at the Agency Headquarters hospital for South Waziristan, in Miranshah. The district surgeon and the hospital MS were suspended and an investigation into the events was launched.
Confidence
Daily Express quoted CM Punjab Shehbaz Sharif as saying that the PPP and PTI ought to take training in public service from his team. He went on to express his opinion that there was was no extraterrestrial life-form (khalai makhlooq), nor was he afraid of such a thing.
Reaction to a bird strike
It was reported by Daily Express that an MNA, Shahab Uddin Khan from FATA, chose a unique occasion to resign from the ruling party and set up his own party. His flight, a Boeing 777, encountered adverse weather conditions and during its landing at Lahore, it was struck by a bird. The flight found itself delayed, during which process the passengers began to protest. The MNA expressed his view that this was a shameful situation. When passengers asked him to end his affiliation with the ruling party, the MNA agreed.