Author: newsdesk

  • Adnan Shah Tipu opens up on losing Bollywood’s ‘Dedh Ishiqya’ and ‘Sacred Games 2’

    Adnan Shah Tipu recently confessed in an interview about losing Bollywood film Dedh Ishqiya and successful Netflix’s web series Sacred Games 2. The host asked him about missing out on the opportunity to star opposite Madhuri Dixit in a feature film, the Suno Chanda star stated that it is all written in the fate and is beyond human control.

    Tipu mentioned, “There was a movie named Dedh Ishiqya,” adding that he auditioned nine times for the role, but no one was getting visa those days even Vishal Bhardwaj went to Delhi himself to get visa for me, but I did not get the visa and that is the reason I could not do the movie.

    During the interview the Besharam actor disclosed that he was offered a pivotal role in Sacred Games 2 but Tipu revealed that he could not do the role due to hostile relations between India and Pakistan.

    On the work front, Adnan was last seen in drama serial Dil Na Umeed Toh Nahi co-starring Yumna Zaidi.

  • IPL broadcast banned in Taliban’s Afghanistan over presence of female spectators

    IPL broadcast banned in Taliban’s Afghanistan over presence of female spectators

    The Taliban have warned media outlets in Afghanistan not to broadcast the UAE leg of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 due to the presence of female spectators in stadiums.

    “Ridiculous: Taliban have banned the broadcasting of Indian Premier League (IPL) in Afghanistan. Taliban have warned that Afghan media outlets should not broadcast the Indian Cricket League due to girls dancing and the presence of the female audience and spectators in stadiums,” tweeted Afghan journalist Fawad Aman.

    The UAE leg of IPL is underway and two matches have been played between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore.

    The knockout stage of IPL 2021 is scheduled to begin on October 10 with the final slated to be held on October 15.

    Notably, the Taliban banned most forms of entertainment — including many sports and women have been completely banned from playing sport. Even though the hardline group has shown they do not mind men playing cricket, pulling together a match in Kabul shortly after foreign forces withdrew.

    Australia had earlier issued a statement, saying if the recent media allegations against the Taliban-led hardline government in Afghanistan that it will not support women’s cricket were proved to be true, then Cricket Australia will not host the Afghanistan men’s team for the proposed Test match in Hobart.

    Meanwhile, it has also been reported that teams will also not play against Afghanistan in T20 World Cup, which is slated to be starting from October 17 in the UAE and Oman.

  • Taliban acknowledge PM Khan’s efforts for peace in Afghanistan

    Taliban acknowledge PM Khan’s efforts for peace in Afghanistan

    Taliban spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Information and Culture Zabiullah Mujahid praised Prime Minister Imran Khan and appreciated his efforts to promote peace in the war-torn country.

    Speaking to Afghan media in Kabul, Mujahid said countries were criticising the Taliban government for human rights violations without recognising it.

    “We think this is a unilateral point of view,” he stressed.

    On the other hand, Taliban expanded their interim cabinet but failed to appoint any women, despite the international outcry that followed their initial presentation of an all-male cabinet.

    The international community had categorically stated that recognition of the Taliban government would not be possible until it gives women and minorities their due rights.

    Zabihullah Mujahid defended the latest additions to the cabinet, saying it included members of ethnic minorities, such as Hazaras, and that women might be added later.

    Mujahid was also asked about the recent restrictions imposed on girls and women, including a decision not to allow girls in grades six to 12 to return to classrooms for the time being.

    He suggested this was a temporary decision, and that “soon it will be announced when they can go to school”. He said plans were being made to allow their return but did not elaborate.

  • Police rescue woman raped by brother, held hostage for two years

    Police rescue woman raped by brother, held hostage for two years

    The police have rescued a woman from an apartment in Karachi’s Marwari Line of the Ranchore Line neighbourhood after a neighbor hinted that she was imprisoned, Aamir Majeed reported for Samaa News.

    Eidgah Assistant Sub-Inspector Zahid Mehmood told Samaa Digital that they received a complaint on police helpline 15 Madadgar by a man who identified himself as Junaid to make them aware of the suspected hostage in Jannat Bibi Building.

     A police team instantly went to the venue where a large number of people were gathered outside the building. According to ASI Mehmood, when they entered the single-room apartment, there was a very weak woman covered in a bedsheet. The woman was so weak that she could not even walk. She was taken to Civil Hospital, Karachi, for rehabilitation in an ambulance.

     According to ASI Mehmood, neighbours caught her brother — identified as Iqbal — and handed him over to the police.

    Read More: Woman gang-raped at Lahore hotel for seven days

     An FIR was registered against her brother on the complaint of the victim’s maternal uncle Muhammad Hassan. He told the police that the woman’s parents had passed away and her brother took her with him three years ago and did not contact the extended family. 

     Junaid contacted the police and said that Iqbal was living in an apartment that he had rented two-and-a-half years ago. Everyone knew Iqbal lived with his sister there but no one ever saw her. He claimed that sometimes they heard her crying, but no one interfered, thinking it was a personal matter.

     Junaid told the police that people in the area suspected that something was wrong after someone threw used condoms out of the apartment. Though the apartment was locked, the women of the area tried to look inside through a window. They saw a woman lying naked.

     District City SSP Sarfaraz Nawaz said that a woman medico-legal officer examined the victim.

     “According to the WMLO, the victim was raped,” he confirmed. The police have acquired semen samples from the suspect and sent them for tests. Further investigation is underway.

  • ‘International lobby working against Pak but won’t be successful’: Fawad Chaudhry

    ‘International lobby working against Pak but won’t be successful’: Fawad Chaudhry

    Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry took to Twitter and said that the government will consult lawyers regarding legal action that can be taken against the New Zealand and England cricket boards for abandoning Pakistan cricket series.

    “PTV has incurred huge financial loss due to the cancellation of New Zealand and England cricket series. [We] will consult lawyers about legal action against the two boards. A specific foreign lobby is busy [in activities] against Pakistan but those wishing to make us bend will never be successful,” tweeted Fawad.

    The  England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Monday announced that it has reluctantly decided to withdraw both men’s and women’s teams from their tour to Pakistan. Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Ramiz Raja tweeted that he was “disappointed with England, pulling out of their commitment & failing a member of their Cricket fraternity when it needed it most”.

    “The ECB Board convened this weekend to discuss these extra England Women’s and Men’s games in Pakistan and we can confirm that the Board has reluctantly decided to withdraw both teams from the October trip,” an ECB statement read.

  • Al Qaeda militants arrested from Lahore

    The Punjab Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) arrested four alleged members of Al Qaeda from Lahore, the CTD spokesperson has confirmed according to Samaa News. An FIR has also been registered at the CTD police station and the police has started interrogation from the suspects.

    The law enforcement authorities received “credible source information” about the presence of members of the banned organisation near Lahore’s Mohlanwal Road.

    Four men, identified as Muhammad Mushtaq, Sami Ullah, Adil Jamal, and Usama Khalid, were arrested, in a raid on Tuesday morning. “They were orchestrating an attack on law enforcement agencies in the city,” the CTD spokesperson told Samaa.

    Earlier in August, the CTD arrested two alleged members of banned organisation Al Qaeda at Jallo Pind.

  • Shahbaz Taseer, Neha Rajpoot set to tie the knot

    Shahbaz Taseer, Neha Rajpoot set to tie the knot

    Model Neha Rajpoot and Shahbaz Taseer are reportedly set to marry soon.

    The Moray Saiyaan diva and son of late politician Salman Taseer are often spotted together at public places.

    In December 2020, Shahbaz’s ex-wife Maheen Ghani accused Neha of destroying her marriage.

    She took to Instagram stories and said: “To each their own I guess and whatever makes them happy. Though I do hope that this trend of certain models with married men and vice versa changes. I am divorced now fortunately and wish them peace and healing.”

    The fashion designer remained supportive of her ex-husband when he was abducted. Reunited after five years, the couple welcomed their daughter but due to irreconcilable differences, they announced their divorce.

    Rajpoot responded to the accusations:

    “Lol it’s easy to point out fingers at people who stay quiet, well there is always two sides to a story just because someone is quiet doesn’t mean they are wrong. I’m amazed at how whenever something comes up it’s so easy for people to put on at models calling them homewreckers and totally disregard housewives who when their husbands are away for long, they cheat left, right and centre and then blame the man for moving on. I rest my case here and I wish her peace and love.”

    The duo hasn’t yet officially announced the news of their wedding.

  • BTS sing and dance their way through the UN headquarters

    BTS sing and dance their way through the UN headquarters

    South Korean band BTS performed at the 76th United Nations (UN) session on Monday, ahead of the annual gathering of world leaders.

    While promoting UN goals for 2030 including ending extreme poverty, preserving the planet and achieving gender equality. The band’s leader rap monster said, “Every choice we make is the beginning of change, not the end.” The artists took turns on stage during their seven-minute speech, reports AFP.

    The pop stars said that they had been vaccinated against Covid and urged the young people around the world to share perspectives on being the “Covid lost generation”.

    Apart from this, the seven-member boy band also unveiled a new music video ‘Permission to Dance’, which was filmed at the UN Headquarters in New York.

    Earlier, the pop group was appointed as special presidential envoys. They previously addressed the UN General Assembly in 2018.

    Prime Minister Imran Khan will address the UN General Assembly on September 24 via video link.

  • Sharmila Faruqi blasts ‘Khuda Aur Mohabbat 3’ for showcasing violence against women

    Sharmila Faruqi has criticised Pakistani dramas for showing violence and physical abuse against women. The politician took to her Instagram account to share a screenshot from the drama Khuda Aur Mohabbat 3 of a scene in which a husband is slapping his wife.

    “Why can’t our dramas show a husband having a normal conversation with his wife? Why do our women have to be resorted violence and physical abuse at the drop of a hat?”

    “What you show in these dramas is what most of our people will emulate.. In the last episode of khuda aur mohabbat, Nazim shah slaps his wife Sahiba while questioning her about her visit to the mazaar with Mahi.”

    “This could have been a very normal conversation between the couple but unfortunately our writers revel in the fact that once a man is angry he will resort to violence towards the women in his life. Can we show some decent man who do believe in respecting a woman?”, she concluded.

    The politician earlier schooled Gohar Rasheed for his stance on the slap scene in Laapata.

  • KP Assembly to set daycare centre for parliamentarians

    KP Assembly to set daycare centre for parliamentarians

    The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly has become the first legislature in the country for setting up a baby feeding and daycare centre to facilitate women parliamentarians, reports Dawn.

    Members of the Women Parliamentary Assembly, United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (Unicef), and health and planning and development departments were present when Speaker Mushtaq Ghani inaugurated the daycare centre.

    Ghani said that as per the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan, women were being empowered by ensuring their presence in the legislating process.

    The Speaker appreciated the opening of the daycare facility stating that the female parliamentarians would not have to leave their infants at home for attending assembly sessions or committees’ meetings.