NEW DELHI: Imran Khan fumbled a few times as he was being sworn-in as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan on Saturday.

A spectacle-wearing Khan said “roz-e-qayadat” (the day of leadership), instead of “roz-e-qayamat” (the day of judgement), as he was administered the oath of office in Urdu by president Mamnoon Hussain, prompting a correction by the president. Khan smiled as he repeated the correct word.

The first part of the oath requires to swear being a Muslim, and believing unity and oneness of Allah, the books of Allah of which the Quran is the last, the prophethood of Muhammad as the last of the prophets, the day of judgement, and all the requirements and teachings of the Quran and Sunnah.

Khan, who also seemed to face difficulty in pronouncing some Urdu words in the oath, also arrived late at the Aiwan-e-Sadr (President’s House here) for the swearing-in which was scheduled for 10 am (Pakistan Standard Time), according to Pakistani media channels.

Indian cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu, who was seated in the front row along with Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) vice president and former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and former Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Pervez Khattak, was flanked by president of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, Masood Khan.

Sidhu, a Punjab minister who was the only of three Indian cricketers to attend the oath-taking ceremony (Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev had declined), was also seen meeting and embracing Pakistan army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

Khan’s third wife, Bushra Maneka, clad in a head-to-heels burkha, was also sitting in the front row.

courtesy : hindustantimes.com

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



Bhubaneswar/Berhampur/Phulbani, Nov 1: At least two tribal women died and six others fell ill after allegedly consuming mango kernel gruel in Odisha's Kandhamal district, police said on Friday.

Consumption of mango kernel, prepared by boiling the seeds in water, was reported from Mandipanka village in the district's Daringbadi block, an officer said.

While one of the two women (Rasmita Pattamajhi aged 22) died on Thursday night at Mohana community health centre in Gajapati district where she was undergoing treatment after "consuming the gruel", another woman (Runu Majhi aged 29) breathed her last while being taken to MKCG Medical College Hospital in Berhampur, Gadapur sarpanch Kumari Mallick said.

Six others, who fell ill after allegedly consuming the gruel, were admitted to a hospital and their condition was critical, said Dr Subrat Das, a medical officer of the health facility.

"All the six have been admitted to the hospital in a serious condition. We suspected that they fell sick due to food poisoning. The exact cause of the illness will be ascertained after completion of the investigation," he added.

The six were identified as Pravati Patmajhi, Dranglu Patmajhi, Tuni Majhi, Susama Patmajhi, Jita Majhi and Jibanti Majhi, Daringbadi BDO Pritiranjan Ratha said.

Meanwhile, the Odisha government has rejected allegations that tribal people have been consuming mango kernel gruel due to a lack of access to rice under the Public Distribution System (PDS).

Rasmita's husband Anil Pattamajhi alleged that they were denied rice under PDS for the last three months because of which his wife consumed mango kernel.

However, Kandhamal district magistrate-cum-collector Amrit Ruturaj dismissed the allegations, saying the family received rice according to PDS norms. "We are awaiting the postmortem report to determine the facts," the collector added.

Deputy chief minister Pravati Parida, who is also in-charge of the women and child development department said, "It is not a case of malnutrition. Mango kernel is part of their (tribal) regular diet. Sometime, the mango kernels get contaminated and lead to such unfortunate incidents. We have been actively spreading awareness about the risks of food contamination."

Health and family welfare minister Mukesh Mahaling, who ordered a departmental inquiry into the death of two tribal women, said a team from the district headquarters hospital and another local team are at the spot to assess the situation and conduct a detailed probe into the incident.

Mahaling said that the government was waiting for the postmortem report for a confirmation on the cause of the deaths. "People in Kandhamal consume mango kernel. It is common in that region and there also have been reports of health complications linked to it in the past," he said.

The Kandhmal incident reminds a similar tragedy involving mango kernel deaths in Kashipur block of Rayagada district, where at least 20 people died in 2001, and two more succumbed to mango kernel consumption in 2016. Additionally, mango kernel has claimed lives in Laxmipur in Koraput district in 2012 and 2013, as well as in Jharigaon in Nabarangpur district in 2018.