Author: newsdesk

  • Jemima Goldsmith shares the inspiration behind film ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It?’

    Jemima Goldsmith shares the inspiration behind film ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It?’

    Screenwriter and producer Jemima Goldsmith has revealed that she came upon the idea to make the film ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It?’ after living in Pakistan and observing arranged marriage committees, which would look for spouses for people.

    “The film kind of started as a joke with my friends who were in their thirties, when i came back to the UK after having lived in Pakistan in those years,” Jemima said on Australian show Project TV.
    “My ex-husband’s family is quite conservative so I lived in a joint family household. I lived with his father, his sisters, their husbands and kids. There were about 24 of us, living under the same house, and all our kids,” she revealed about her marriage to former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Jemima and the cricket hero divorced in _ after __ years of marriage.
    “I did get to see arranged marriages up close, long term ones and ones that were arranged that I was on the committee for. And some of them were like surprisingly, to me, with my pre-conceptions, happy and successful. So when I came back in my thirties, my friends were at the point where they were hoping to settle down, have kids, get married, maybe not get married. We would say if you had seen functional parents..who would they choose for you and would it work? And it became a conversation point, and I think there’s quite a lot to be said for like simmer then boil and walking into love or falling in love. And the idea that they always used to say ‘Love comes at the end of the beginning of marriage’, which is a completely different point of view,” she said.
    Jemima also described the film as ‘the rom-com Pakistan’, showing the colorful, vibrant side of the country that Western audiences don’t often see on the screen
    “It’s the rom-com Pakistan aside from the darkness of politics. It’s the jazz-hands version of Pakistan. Which is nice to show because you don’t often kind to see the colorful, vibrant Pakistan we’re much more used to seeing Pakistanis and Pakistan as a kind of darker place on our screens particularly in the US and the UK.. So it’s nice to show the version of Pakistan that I grew to love.”

    ‘What’s Love Got To Do With?’ releases in cinemas on 24th February.

    You can watch the full interview below:

  • Millions in Pakistan without electricity after countrywide outage

    Millions in Pakistan without electricity after countrywide outage

    Millions of Pakistanis were left without electricity on Monday due to a nationwide power outage, which threatened to unleash chaos in the South Asian country, which is already experiencing fuel shortages during the winter.

    The country’s Ministry of Energy said in a statement the country’s National Grid went down at 7:34 am local time, “causing a widespread breakdown in the power system,” according to initial reports.

    “System maintenance work is progressing rapidly,” the statement added.

    A “limited number of grids” in Islamabad and Peshawar have had power restored, the ministry said.

    The duration of the power outage is unknown, but attempts are being made to bring power back to various areas of the country.

    The disruption occurs as the country’s frail economy continues to face numerous difficulties, including a serious energy crisis.

    Earlier this month, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered all federal agencies to cut their energy use by 30 per cent. In addition, his administration mandated that all stores and restaurants close at 8:30 pm.

  • Gas crisis to worsen in Pakistan as Italy-based supplier refuses to deliver LNG cargo in February

    Gas crisis to worsen in Pakistan as Italy-based supplier refuses to deliver LNG cargo in February

    The Italian LNG trading company ENI has intimated that it won’t be able to deliver its LNG cargo scheduled on February 6, which might cause the gas situation in Pakistan to worsen in the coming days.

    The report has troubled the senior officials in the Petroleum Division since the country is already suffering from a severe gas shortage, with some major cities getting little to no gas pressure.

    In accordance with its petrol load management strategy, the government assured home users a supply of gas for cooking during the winter months for three hours from 6 am to 9 am, two hours from 12 pm to 2 pm for lunch, and three hours from 6 pm to 9 pm for dinner.

    According to authorities, the effect of ENI’s disengagement will be seen as a reduction in supplies to the power sector and the non-availability of the anticipated 325mmcfd supply for the sector next month.

    End users will receive expensive electricity as boiler oil-based electricity’s reliance grows. The captive power plants will be delivered gas at 50 per cent and supply to fertiliser plants, compressed natural gas (CNG) and local industry shall remain discontinued.

    The Petroleum Division had earlier asserted that the ENI will not default starting in January 2023, however, this is untrue.

    The February supply setback is due to an occurrence of Force Majeure, according to an ENI representative, who also confirmed the news, saying that ENI is not in any way benefited from the circumstance.

    According to The News, ENI defaulted five times last year, failing to deliver LNG cargoes in the months of March, May, July, September, and November.

  • ‘Deeply disrespectful act’: Swedish PM condemns desecration of Holy Quran

    Swedish Prime Minister (PM) Ulf Kristersson has condemned the abhorrent act of desecration of the Holy Quran in Stockholm.

    On Saturday, far-right politician Rasmus Paludan set fire to a copy of the Holy Quran in front of the Turkish embassy.

    PM Kristersson reacted to the abhorrent incident, tweeting: “Freedom of expression is a fundamental part of democracy. But what is legal is not necessarily appropriate. Burning books that are holy to many is a deeply disrespectful act.”

    “I want to express my sympathy for all Muslims who are offended by what has happened in Stockholm,” he said.

    Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif has also condemned the incident.

    In a tweet, the Premier said: “No words are enough to adequately condemn the abhorrable act of desecration of the Holy Quran by a right-wing extremist in Sweden.”

    Shehbaz emphasised that “the garb of freedom of expression” was used to hurt the religious sentiments of the 1.5 billion Muslims across the world, calling the act “unacceptable”.

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan also condemned the incident as he highlighted the steps his government took against Islamophobia.

  • Feroze Khan’s former brother-in-law Shamoon Abbasi breaks silence on his domestic abuse controversy

    Actor Shamoon Abbasi, Feroze Khan‘s former brother-in-law, recently talked about Khan’s domestic abuse controversy.

    Abbasi recently said in an interview, “A lot of my fans and followers asked me about Feroze Khan’s issue, I usually don’t get into others’ personal problems but now I have been asked so I should reply, well, I am no one to judge in this regard, I have also faced these domestic issues which comes in married life and ironically I was married to Feroze Khan’s sister Humaima Malick.”

    Feroze Khan’s Ex brother in Law talks on controversy

    The Me Bushra star revealed, “We had a good time but there are issues that come between husband and wife, sometimes people exaggerate about it especially when they get social media support, they become a star, actors become public figures, also if social media is making you star then it has the power to ruin your career after your controversy”.

    Shamoon claimed that while he doesn’t have the time to delve into these matters, he is aware of the problem because viral stories frequently appear on his phone. Shamoon stated, “now, I have been told that Feroze has leaked addresses of actors who are now in chaos and have taken legal action against Feroze”.

    He said, “I have known Feroze since he was a cute kid, whatever has happened with him is his personal matter and no one should get into it, now the actors who spoken about it are taking legal actions, I am not taking Feroze Khan’s side but if you have a stance about it, you should be ready to face the consequences, besides this, it is a short Industry and we should not waste the fame in such fights”.

  • Gold price increases by Rs1,200 to Rs187,200 per tola

    Gold price increases by Rs1,200 to Rs187,200 per tola

    The per tola price of 24-karat gold witnessed an increase of Rs1,200 on Saturday and was traded at Rs187,200, up from Rs186,000 the previous trading day. The price of 10 grammes of 24-karat gold also increased by Rs1,029 to Rs160,494 according to All Sindh Sarafa Jewellers Association.

    Although gold is often used as an inflation hedge, it is quite vulnerable to monetary tightening, which raises the opportunity cost of owning the bullion, which is typically a non-yielding asset like other precious metals. In other words, a precious metal investment cannot be “put to use” to try to make a profit.

    According to the jewellers association, gold in the local market continued to be “undercost” by Rs3,000 a tola when compared to the Dubai market, maintaining its Friday trend.

    Dealers claimed it was difficult to determine if the potential increase in the policy rate of 100–200 basis points (BPS) had been included in the price of the yellow metal.

    According to a research report from Pearl Securities, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) may raise the policy rate by 100 to 200 basis points to reduce ongoing inflationary pressures.

  • An Urdu translation error in ‘Mission Majnu’ is going viral on Pakistani twitter

    An Urdu translation error in ‘Mission Majnu’ is going viral on Pakistani twitter

    As if pretending we greet everybody with ‘adaab’ and wear kajal around our eyes wasn’t enough, now Bollywood can’t even get a simple Urdu text typed properly.

    Twitter was in fits after the trailer for ‘Mission Majnu’ releasedand we got some *chef’s kiss* memes from our twitter users

    https://twitter.com/maulanaglumi/status/1613202698744070144?s=20&t=1DpofqYHYMhTNLWyzCI88g

    But now, eagle-eyed netizens have found another hilarious reason to keep mocking the film and the abysmal representation it offers of Muslims.
    In a viral post by twitter user @karakmufti, a scene from the movie shows a sign in a masjid where the Urdu text is quite absurd.

    This led to users trolling the film all over again, like comedian Jeremy McLellan sharing that the makers of the film had relied on Google Translate for the Urdu text.

    There were many other hilarious reactions to this translation error that are just too brilliant to miss out.
    For instance, another translation error found in the movie.

    https://twitter.com/theasadshahbaz/status/1616747189383864321?s=20&t=L5yBc2QE2ad7ukaVJh43ow
    https://twitter.com/thenorthaspoken/status/1616820386443984897?s=20&t=L5yBc2QE2ad7ukaVJh43ow

  • ‘Was a freshman at Oxford’, Bilawal gets candid about his whereabouts when his mother was assassinated

    ‘Was a freshman at Oxford’, Bilawal gets candid about his whereabouts when his mother was assassinated

    Foreign Minister (FM) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari recently got candid while talking about his mother’s legacy, assassination, and his foray into politics.

    In a wide-ranging interview on Thursday with The Washington Post’s Lally Weymouth, Bilawal, who is currently representing Pakistan at World Economic Forum in Davis, agreed that if his mother Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto had lived Pakistan would have been a different place.

    “I think that not only would Pakistan be a different place, but our region would have gone in a different direction. She had a vision and clarity that no one had at the time,” he said of his mother, the first female Muslim Prime Minister in the world.

    Responding to a question about where he was when his mother was assassinated in 2007 in Karachi, he said, “I was a freshman at Oxford”. Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in an attack in Rawalpindi in 2007, right before she was to lead her party to the polls.

    Speaking about his early stages in politics, Bilawal—who is also chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)— said that his party thought that it was important for him to take a “ceremonial role leading the party to keep them united”.

    When asked whether he could become prime minister this year, FM Bilawal said he would have to win an election first.

    “Obviously, my party will be hoping that we win,” he said, hinting towards a coalition government if his party wins the most seats in the general elections scheduled for later this year.

    During the interview, the young minister reiterated that Pakistan’s new leadership, both political and military, will hold no talks with terrorist organisations who don’t respect the country’s laws and constitution.

    He said that former PM Imran Khan gave the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) a place to hide; not only did he release prisoners who were in Pakistan’s custody, but also engaged in a dialogue with them. “He [Imran Khan] has always been ideologically sympathetic to their point of view,” he added.

  • Two transgender activists barred from Fly Dubai plane because of X gender

    Two transgender activists barred from Fly Dubai plane because of X gender

    Transgender activist Shahzadi Rai has said on Friday that Fly Dubai had barred her and another transgender activist from travelling on their flight.
    Rai took to Twitter to share her experience with Fly Dubai stating that she and her Project Manager Zarish were barred from travelling from Karachi to Dubai because of her X gender.
    The activist who works with the Gender Interactive Alliance narrated the incident in a video clip.

    “We had a flight to attend our annual meeting, me and my project manager, Zarish. But they cancelled our ticket because we had written X in our gender category. This is extremely transphobic.”

    In the next tweet, Rai shared a screenshot of her flight ticket and wrote that although transgender people are a part of mainstream community in other countries, it was shocking to witness Fly Dubai indulge in transphobic behavior.
    “Transgender persons are part of the main stream in other countries but Fly Dubai doesn’t allow x-gender cards to travel, Transphobic behaviour by Fly Dubai, if they don’t allow us to travel on their plane, why did they issue a ticket.”

    Since this post was uploaded yesterday, many transgender activists and otter public figures have criticized the airline. Transgender activists like Mehrub Moiz Awan and Hina Baloch slammed Fly Dubai on their twitter accounts, and have called for Pakistan’s Foreign Office to address the matter.

    Fly Dubai has yet to issue a statement regarding the matter.

  • HRCP expresses concern over ‘Criminal Laws (Amendment) Act 2023’

    HRCP expresses concern over ‘Criminal Laws (Amendment) Act 2023’

    The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has expressed its “deep concern” over the Criminal Laws (Amendment) Act 2023, which was passed unanimously on January 17 in the National Assembly. While the stated aim of this bill is to curb sectarianism, HRCP believes it is likely to exacerbate the persecution of Pakistan’s beleaguered religious minorities and minority sects.

    The National Assembly unanimously passed the Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill on Tuesday, aimed at increasing punishment for disrespect of Ummahatul Momineen, Ahl-e-Bait, Khulfa-e-Rashideen and Sahaba-e-Kiram.

    “The proposed legislation increases the punishment for using derogatory remarks against holy persons—including the Prophet (PBUH)’s family, wives and companions, and the four caliphs—from three years with a fine to imprisonment for life ‘which will not be less than ten years’. The bill also makes the offence non-bailable, thereby directly violating the constitutionally guaranteed right to personal liberty under Article 9,” read the press release from the human rights watchdog.

    “Given Pakistan’s troubled record of the misuse of such laws, these amendments are likely to be weaponised disproportionately against religious minorities and sects, resulting in false FIRs, harassment and persecution. Moreover, increasing the penalty for alleged blasphemy will aggravate misuse of the law to settle personal vendettas, as is often the case with blasphemy allegations,” it added.

    “At a time when civil society has been calling for amendments to these laws to prevent their abuse, strengthening this punishment will do the exact opposite.”