Author: newsdesk

  • ‘Mujhe Sunita pe tars aata hai’: Shaista Lodhi makes revelations about arch-rival Sunita Marshall

    Morning show host and actor Shaista Lodhi is currently hosting PTV’s morning show, she recently invited celebrity couple of Faizan Sheikh and Maham Aamir and played a customised rapid fire round with them.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZTRd-Bowg4

    While talking about stereotyping actors who don’t fit the prototypes of being a mainstream lead in local dramas, the Pardes diva stated that, “I feel pitty on Sunita Marshall as producers have stereptyped her in ‘sister-in-law’ characters.”

    She added, “Bus bhabhi ke role de rahay hain usko jub ke she is a talented actor. mujhe bohat tars aata hai uspe.”

    The Qaid-e-Tanhai star recently did sister-in-law characters in hit serials like Khuda Aur Mohabbat 3 and Aulaad.

    You can get exclusive details in our new show, Maslay Aur Masala:

    Actor Faisal Quraishi stated recently that working with married actresses who have children can at times become a challenge.

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is WhatsApp-Image-2021-12-09-at-01.55.20-1024x512.jpg

    “Most actresses get married and are investing time in bringing up their children and some actresses working on sets are keeping a check on their kids. It is always difficult for girls because they have other responsibilities.” said Faysal.

    “I was recently working with Sunita Marshall and I always found her worried about her kids on the set. When I was working with Shaista, she also shared that she had a hard time focusing on her job since her kids were always on her mind, ” added the Fitoor hero.

    Hence he prefers working with single actresses.

    He also cited Sunita Marshal’s example that while shooting, she was mentally occupied with her children’s activities.

  • ‘Mind your own business, meri coach mat bano’: Sarfaraz Ahmed under fire for mansplaining wife Khushbakht

    ‘Mind your own business, meri coach mat bano’: Sarfaraz Ahmed under fire for mansplaining wife Khushbakht

    Pakistan’s former test cricket captain Sarfaraz Ahmed and his wife Khushbakht recently appeared on Nida Yasir’s Sehri show on ARY Digital, the duo shared that they don’t talk about cricket after an unforgettable moment happened between them before their marriage. 

    Cricketer Sarfaraz Ahmed Makes It To Nida Yasir Show With Family [In  Pictures] - Lens

    The couple shared why they avoid talking about cricket. 

    “It was my first Test tour to South Africa in 2013 and we just got hitched,” Sarfaraz recalled. 

    “As you know, South African bouncy conditions are always tricky for us, so I failed to score runs there.

    “I was already disturbed with my performance and then Khushbakht asked me to focus on my performance. It irritated me a bit and I immediately told her to mind her own business,” he disclosed. 

    “Mera coach banne ki zaroorat nahi hai, mere pas already coaches hain [Don’t try to be my coach, I already have my coaches],” Sarfaraz was quoted saying to his wife on phone.

    Intervening into the conversation, Khushbakht said; “Thereafter, we didn’t talk about cricket ever.”

    This statement of Sarfaraz has gained polarising response from netizens.

    Sarfaraz and Khushbakht tied the knot in 2015. The couple have two children named, Abdullah and Ayesha. 

    Sarfaraz also mentioned that he gets very angry when any of his equipment gets misplaced.

    Recently he appreciated actress Hania Aamir for her performance in blockbuster drama serial, Ishqiya costarring Feroze Khan.

    Sarfaraz Ahmed

    Hania Amir Official - How was the today episode of drama #Ishqiya | Facebook

    In a recent interview in which the Pakistani athletes had to comment on local celebrities, Sarfraz stated that the Anaa star impressed him with her performance in the romantic drama.

    The former captain also penned a dialogue from the hit drama Parizaad starring Ahmed Ali Akbar on his Instagram stories.

  • CNG stations in Sindh to open on April 11

    CNG stations in Sindh to open on April 11

    On April 6, the Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGC) ordered the three-day closure of all compressed natural gas (CNG) stations in Sindh.

    According to a statement from the gas company, all CNG stations will remain closed for 72 hours, starting at 8 AM on Friday and ending at 8 AM on Monday.

    The CNG stations were closed in the province to address the gas shortage in the country and as a part of the gas load management plan.

    “Due to the short supply of gas in the SSGCL system, the availability of gas has diminished, resulting in line pack depletion and low pressure in the system,” according to the statement.

    “All CNG stations in Sindh (including those using RLNG) would stay closed in accordance with the current sectoral priority order for gas load management”.

    It is worth noting that CNG dealers had reopened their business on February 14 after a two-and-a-half-month hiatus. Following the gas load management plan, gas supplies to the CNG sector were suspended from December 1, 2021, to February 15, 2022.

    The unavailability of CNG multiplied the problems of the common man as the masses were forced to top their automobiles up with Petrol, which nearly touched Rs160 during that period.

  • Will Smith banned from Oscars for 10 years

    Will Smith banned from Oscars for 10 years

    Will Smith was banned on Friday from attending the Oscars for the next 10 years, two weeks after the actor stunned the world by storming on stage mid-ceremony to slap comedian Chris Rock.

    Smith will also not be permitted to attend any other events held by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences over the next decade.

    The decision, set out in a letter from Academy chiefs, did not revoke the best actor award Smith won last month for King Richard, nor did it mention any ban on future Oscar nominations.

    “The board has decided, for a period of 10 years from April 8 2022, Mr Smith shall not be permitted to attend any Academy events or programmes, in person or virtually, including but not limited to the Academy Awards,” wrote president David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson.

    Academy governors convened on Friday morning to discuss actions against Smith, with board members Steven Spielberg and Whoopi Goldberg among those invited to rule on the actor’s fate.

    The meeting of top brass from Hollywood’s leading industry body was originally set to discuss suspending or expelling Smith, but he preemptively resigned from the group.

    Actors do not need to be members of the Academy to receive nominations, although each year’s Oscar nominees — and winners — are voted for by members of the group.

    Smith’s actions during a live global broadcast stunned audiences and cast a shadow over both the night’s big winners and the Tinseltown showcase event itself.

    “The 94th Oscars were meant to be a celebration of the many individuals in our community who did incredible work this past year however, those moments were overshadowed by the unacceptable and harmful behavior we saw Mr. Smith exhibit on stage,” said the Academy letter.

    It added, “This action we are taking today in response to Will Smith’s behaviour is a step toward a larger goal of protecting the safety of our performers and guests, and restoring trust in the Academy.”

  • Journalists covering the Parliament session today

    The National Assembly (NA) session chaired by Speaker Asad Qaiser is currently on-going under the Supreme Court (SC) order.

    Here is a lots of journalists and reporters who are in Parliament right now. Click on their names to follow them on Twitter.

    Journalist Asma Shirazi shared a picture where Mohammad Malick, Gharidah Farooqi, Dr Shahid Masood, Batool Rajput, Aamir Ghauri, Saleh Zaafir and Shahid Maitla can be seen.

    Other than them, Journalist Zahid Gishkori is also currently present in the Parlaiment.

    Journalist Nayyer Ali alongside BBC’s Farhat Javed Rabani and Independent Urdu’s Mona Khan posed for a picture.

    Multimedia Journalist Aamir Saeed and Geo News’ Azaz Syed are also present. Syed also interviewed NA Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri.

  • Fact check: Have three popular TV anchors been taken off air?

    Fact check: Have three popular TV anchors been taken off air?

    Claim: Imran Riaz Khan, Irshad Bhatti and Maleeha Hashmy have been sacked by Geo News, Samaa TV and Public News for their political biases

    Fact: Maleeh Hashmy was fired, Irshad Bhatti still works at Geo News and Imran Riaz Khan did not respond

    Minister of Human Rights Shireen Mazari in a tweet expressed her displeasure over the silence of journalists representative bodies and human rights organisations against the sacking of three journalists and TV show hosts/analysts, Imran Riaz Khan, Irshad Bhatti and Maleeha Hashmi.

    “Samaa News sacked Imran Riaz Khan. Geo News sacked Irshad Bhatti while Public News sacked Maleeha Hashmi. Not a word of condemnation came from the media, journos & all other self-proclaimed human rights defenders,” the minister wrote in a tweet.

    Were they all really fired from their jobs? We find out.

    Irshad Bhatti- Geo News

    Truth: He is on leave until Monday April 11, 2022

    Social media reports started circulating yesterday, suggesting that Irshad Bhatti has been sacked from Geo News. Shireen Mazari in her tweet also said the same. However, Bhatti in his reply to Mazari clarified that he has not been taken off-air and he is on leave for three days. He further said that he will be back on-screen on Monday.

    Imran Riaz Khan- Samaa TV

    Truth: He has not confirmed whether he was actually fired from Samaa TV.

    Imran Riaz Khan is a Current affairs host at Samaa TV. He has not confirmed the news yet.

    Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Political Communication Dr Shahbaz Gill in his tweet said that Imran Khan has been off-aired from Samaa Tv. However, no official statement has been issued from the channel.

    Maleeha Hashmi- Public Tv

    Truth: She has been fired

    Maleeha Hashmi used to host a tv show on Public News. Yesterday, the news of her being fired off from Public News, started circulating on social media. Later, she confirmed the news on Twitter. “Public News has OFF AIRED me because I REFUSED to ATTACK Imran Khan & Defend the Culprits of the foreign conspiracy,” she wrote. The channel is yet to give an official statement.

    Verdict: PARTIALLY FALSE

  • Saudi Arabia to allow one million Hajj pilgrims for 2022

    Saudi Arabia to allow one million Hajj pilgrims for 2022

    Saudi Arabia has increased the Hajj pilgrimage limit in the country to one million compared to last year’s 60,000 domestic pilgrims.

    To combat the coronavirus pandemic, attendance at the Islamic event was drastically reduced in the past two years due to travel restrictions.

    As per the latest notice, Pilgrims must be under the age of 65 and have received COVID-19 vaccinations that have been approved by the Saudi health ministry.

    All pilgrims must present a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test report within three days (72 hours of departure time).

    The move intends to accommodate the greatest number of pilgrims to perform Hajj while retaining the Kingdom’s health improvements in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the ministry.

    Furthermore, the directives noted that the expansion will be based on the quotas decided for nations that will follow the Kingdom’s mandatory health recommendations.

    As per the official figures, 58,745 pilgrims performed Hajj in 2021. The number of Hajj pilgrims often surpassed the two million count before the Covid-19 outbreak.

  • Indian actor-activist showers praise on Pakistani Supreme Court

    Bollywood actor and activist, Swara Bhasker took to her Twitter account and shared her opinion on the ongoing situation in Pakistan. She is famous for giving controversial statements about both India and Pakistan.

    She penned down, “Looks like the Supreme Court of Pakistan stood up for its country and citizens and not their government.. so apparently, it is possible. Sigh!.”

    She indirectly highlighted that the Indian apex court could do similar actions to safeguard India and its citizens. Many Indian trolled to compare the situation of Pakistan with India.

    One user said, “Looks like Swara Bhaskar of Pakistan stood up for its country and citizens and not their government.. so apparently it is possible. Sigh!.”

    Swara Bhasker is currently in the United States (US) to attend a seminar at the School of Information symposium on ‘Social Media Influencers and New Political Economy in South Asia & Africa’.

    Another user threatened to stay over there and not return to India.

    She said, “Imran Khan is not stopping himself from appreciating India. Look at this shameless woman. Let God stop her to return to India and stay where she is currently now.”

    A user threatened to apply for Pakistan citizenship so it would be easy to reach out Pakistan Supreme Court.

    In past, Swara Bhasker was trolled by Pakistani netizens over her insensitive remarks about the Shariah Laws in Pakistan over banning her film, Veere Di Wedding in Pakistan in 2018.

  • Will Bilawal Bhutto become the next foreign minister?

    Will Bilawal Bhutto become the next foreign minister?

    Amidst all the political crisis in the country, all eyes are on the National Assembly (NA) where the fate of Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan is going to be decided today. As everyone anticipates a decision today, people are speculating who will get the top positions in the new government.

    The positions which holds the most importance is that of prime minister and president, which is reportedly going to PMLN’s Shehbaz Sharif and JUIF’s Maulana Fazalur Rehman respectively, the question of who will be the foreign minister under the new government is also important.

    According to rumours, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari is likely to be appointed as the Minister of Foreign Affairs. However, the PPP leader while giving an interview to Independent Urdu said that the decision regarding the ministership will be taken by his party.

    Bilawal said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has made the foreign ministry and National Security Committee (NSC) controversial.

    The present Foreign Minister of Pakistan is Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

  • Hamza Shehbaz challenges transfer of Punjab IG, chief secretary in LHC

    Hamza Shehbaz challenges transfer of Punjab IG, chief secretary in LHC

    Leader of the opposition in the Punjab Assembly and PML-N leader Hamza Shehbaz filed a petition in the Lahore Court High against the transfer of the Punjab Inspector General and chief secretary.

    Hamza Shehbaz moved the Lahore High Court (LHC) against the “unlawful” removal of Punjab Chief Secretary Kamran Ali Afzal and Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Rao Sardar Ali Khan.

    LHC Chief Justice Amir Bhatti has taken up the petition and will hear it on April 11.

    In developments that happened late on Friday, the federal government decided to transfer the chief secretary and IGP after they allegedly refused to ‘sort out’ the PTI dissidents to stop them from voting for the opposition candidate in the Punjab Assembly (PA).

    The provincial assembly has to elect the new leader of the house after Usman Buzdar resigned last month. PML-Q’s Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi and PML-N’s Hamza, who has secured the support of PTI’s dissident lawmakers — the Jahangir Khan Tarin and Aleem Khan groups — are expected to go head to head in the race to become the next chief minister.

    In the petition Hamza named the Government of Punjab, chief secretary, and the IGP as respondents.

    It stated that Buzdar’s resignation was accepted on April 1 and, since then, the powers he assumed are that of the caretaker chief minister.

    “The postings and transfers of the officers such as Chief Secretary and Inspector General of Police of the province can only be made in consultation with the provincial government.

    “It is also an admitted position that the provincial cabinet does not exist, therefore, essentially no provincial government exists. Hence such appointments/postings/transfers are without lawful authority,” Hamza argued.

    Axe falls on Punjab SC, IGP

    Sources told Dawn that both Chief Secretary Kamran Ali Afzal and IGP Rao Sardar Ali Khan were summoned by Chief Minister Usman Buzdar on Friday.

    The chief minister, flanked by PML-Q leaders, insisted that they should round up the PTI dissident MPAs and ensure that they should not vote for the opposition’s CM candidate.

    The chief secretary and the IGP are said to have refused to indulge in the illegal activity and the PML-Q leaders demanded that they both be replaced.

    Prime Minister Imran Khan had himself assured Parvez Elahi of all possible help needed ahead of his election as chief minister, during his one-on-one meeting a few days ago at the Governor House, Lahore.

    Sources said the chief minister had moved two summaries for the prime minister to replace the chief secretary and the IGP. For the chief secretary’s replacement, the chief minister had given the names of former principal secretary Tahir Khurshid, Yousaf Bashir Khokhar and Planning and Development Board chairman Abdullah Khan Sumbal.

    Sumbal, however, immediately requested that his candidature might be withdrawn.

    Similarly, the chief minister moved a summary for the appointment of a new IGP while giving a panel – Lahore CCPO Fayyaz Dev, former IG Islamabad Amir Zulfiqar Khan and former Punjab IGP Inam Ghani.