The Zee5’s original Pakistani web series Dhoop Ki Deewar featuring Sajal Aly and Ahad Raza Mir sparked a controversy on social media as #BanDhoopKiDeewar trended on twitter.
The trailer of the series has been released on Youtube and after watching it, Pakistanis think that the story of the project is against the Two-Nation Theory presented by the founders of the country. The Kashmir angle has also aggravated the backlash.
The story of the web series revolves around Pakistan-India tensions at the Line of Control (LOC) in Kashmir. Sajal appears as Sara from Pakistan and Ahad as Vishal from India, both lost their fathers during firing at the LOC. Later on, the characters share their grief through social media leading to their friendship which came as a surprise for their families.
Indian proxies are killing our soldiers in Balochistan and here our state’s so called custodians are sponsoring the web series based on Anti state and Kashmir narrative. Shame! #BanDhoopKiDeewar
Aagha Ali and Hina Altaf are currently hosting a chat show, The Couple show where they invite real life industry couples and provide audiences an insight of their relationship and past. Wajahat Rauf and Shazia Wajahat are the latest celebrity couple to appear on the show.
During a segment of the show, where the guest can ask the host a few set of questions, Wajahat asked Aagha about any bad experience of working with a director, to which Mujhe Bhi Khuda Pe Yaqeen Hai actor replied that it was “Sakina Samo” who directed him and Sarah Khan on Mere Bewafa. He elaborated on his statement by saying that he had a terrible experience on the sets of that drama and regretted signing it but there are personal reasons attached to the entire experience that he wouldn’t like to mention.
Aagha concluded his answer by adding, “It was very tough for me to get through that drama”.
Lahore police has arrested Mufti Aziz-ur-Rehman from Mianwali on charges of molesting one of his students.
An FIR was registered against him on the victim’s complaint on June 16. The victim in his statement said that Mufi Aziz-ur-Rehman accused him of cheating on his exams after which he was banned from giving exams at the Wafaqul Madaris for three years. Mufti then asked the student to “make him happy” in order to get the ban lifted.
“We have been able to arrest this criminal. We will take it as a test case, interrogate him, conduct scientific professional investigation, prosecute and get him convicted by the court. We want our kids protected from these child molesters and keep our society safe for our future,” Inspector General of Police (IG) Punjab Inam Ghani said in a tweet.
We have been able to arrest this criminal. We will take it as a test case, interrogate him, conduct scientific professional investigation, prosecute and get him convicted by the court. We want our kids protected from these child molesters and keep our society safe for our future. pic.twitter.com/W8frA3irKC
— Inam Ghani QPM & Bar, PSP (@InamGhani) June 20, 2021
A case has been filed against the people who organised a music and dance event in Hunza’s Gojal for spreading obscenity, reports Samaa.
The organisers were berated after videos and pictures of the event went viral.
A youth organisation had filed a complaint against the organisers at the Gulmit police station on June 16. The complainants said that the event was held in Passu from June 12 to June 15. People from across the country attended it.
They said that tourists used drugs during the event, adding that some women were seen in “inappropriate” clothes and that is against the traditions and norms of Hunza. The event organisers disrespected the culture of the region.
A case has been registered against Farhan Bhatti and his friends under section 294 (obscene acts and songs) of the Pakistan Penal Code. Those convicted under the law can be sentenced to jail for a maximum of one year and carries a fine of Rs100,000.
Following the controversial event, the district administration has decided to ban all music and cultural programmes in Hunza.
Gilgit-Baltistan Tourism Minister Raja Nasir Ali Khan said that the government wants to bring more tourists to the region and promote its tourist industry.
“We will provide them all kinds of assistance but tourists must respect the culture and traditions of the region.”
Prior to this, a Canadian traveller Rosie Gabrielle, who has been exploring the northern areas of Pakistan, took to social media to call out the local tourists for ‘destroying Hunza’s beauty’ and ‘spreading vulgarity’ in the area.
Former cricketer Abdul Razzaq has said in an interview that match fixers should not be allowed to play for their teams again.
On Geo News show, ‘Jashan-e-Cricket’, Shahzad Iqbal questioned if it is true that Razzaq had noticed Salman Butt’s incompetent performance in one of the matches, which was also mentioned in Shahid Afridi’s book.
Razzaq said: “Shahid Afridi wrote in his book quoting Salman Butt, taking my name, I said that but there was no such thing. I said that in heat of the moment because I observed something, I just had some doubts,” added the all-rounder.
Former cricketer and analyst, Sikandar Bakht asked Razzaq directly if the players who were involved in match-fixing should be allowed to play again. “No, in my point of view, they should not come back,” said Razzaq.
اگر کوئی میچ فکسنگ کرے تو اسے قومی ٹیم میں واپس نہیں آنا چاہیے، شاہد آفریدی نے اپنی کتاب میں سلمان بٹ کے حوالے سےجو میرا نام لے کر لکھا وہ میں نے کہا تھا مگر ایسی کوئی بات نہیں تھی۔ جانیے سابق ٹیسٹ کرکٹر عبدالرزاق کی رائے@ShahzadIqbalGEOpic.twitter.com/QRmi5EaxPO
Talking about captaincy, the host asked Razzaq why he was not given the captaincy in the national cricket team and why did the management not consider him for this role.
Replying to Shahzad, he said: “It is a pity not to get the captaincy of the national cricket team even today because an all-rounder is a good captain.”
For the longest time, our country’s private sector has dealt with obstacles that don’t fully allow small companies to flourish. These obstacles combined with lack of opportunities cause a lot of frustration and reduce the ability to move forward.
In some respects, startups are not too different. After all, they also take birth in the same corporate culture. So naturally one wonders if regulations, opportunities, efficiency, and the business environment were more conducive, would our entrepreneurs be able to do things differently?
Could there be an area where progressive rules were introduced and one could monitor the changes and see if that made a major difference to the mechanics of the industry?
The Current, Pakistan’s first digital news-lifestyle platform that simplifies news for Pakistani millennials, is a startup. After winning the Google News Innovation Challenge in 2020, we faced immense challenges. When Google was sending over the first half of our grant, we were unable to meet the requirements to open a US Dollar bank account. We reached out to six different banks and were refused every time. Frustrated, we kept at it, until one bank took a chance and allowed us to open the account, granted we provide details that the money was indeed coming in from Google. We did and waited for our money to come in. When it did, the bank sent it back, citing that, according to State Bank regulations, getting the money into the country would be tough. Desperate, we appealed to the then Science and Technology Minister, Fawad Chaudhry, as well as contacting State Bank’s President Reza Baqir. Chaudhry was receptive and got us in touch with the right people to help us get our grant across. We were lucky that tech giant Google was in the picture. We finally got our money through and now, will be launching Pakistan’s first membership program.
The Current now comes around bearing good news for all startups. After we became the catalyst that pushed the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to understand the issues being faced by tech startups, the SBP introduced a new policy to facilitate startups and provide them a way to get their money home.
“You won the Google grant and there were issues bringing the money to Pakistan. Since I was the Science and Technology Minister at the time, I discussed the issue with Reza Baqir (President State Bank of Pakistan). Since the State Bank is in very capable hands, they made a new policy to facilitate startups,” says Fawad.
Chaudhry further added, “The credit goes to State Bank President, his team and to The Current, the reason why this issue was highlighted in the first place.”
SBP officially removed a major obstacle that has been subsequently thwarting the growth of the startup companies by allowing them to avail foreign loans as convertible debt.
Startup firms face funding issues due to the unavailability of collateral or security. Foreign investors, including equity funds and angel investors, show interest in startups but they try to cover the risk through alternative means like high return on loan, reports Dawn.
A company may raise funds from abroad in the form of convertible debt, i.e. the lender shall have the option to convert the loan into the equity of the borrowing company.
“It is expected that this initiative will help in attracting more foreign investment as it will provide another option to the international investors to invest in startup companies operating in Pakistan,” said the SBP.
We at The Current are immensely happy that we have helped carve a way and provide an easier path for Pakistani startups.
After ruling the hearts of television and film audiences, our celebrities are turning into entrepreneurs, by launching their own brands.
Here is a list of stars who are set to conquer the corporate world:
Farhan Saeed
Farhan launched his own perfume brand, taking to Instagram, the Sajni singer wrote: “After carefully selecting, designing and curating only the best, presenting Farhan Saeed fragrance. A fragrance that lasts! If you haven’t ordered yet what are you waiting for?”
The latest addition to the list is industry veteran Faysal Qureshi, who recently launched his fragrance line, Encounter Scents. For this, he has teamed up with Mahsam Raza, CEO of Dua Fragrances and Encounter Scents. The two bring the US-based brand to Pakistan with an official launch event that took place over the weekend.
After ruling the morning show scene for years, Sanam Jung has turned entrepreneur launching her own fragrance line called Sanam Jung Fragrances. Sharing the news on social media, the actor gave a glimpse of her first collection, discussing her obsession with perfumes and how excited she is about her new venture.
“So there you have it, I have introduced my own fragrance line,” said Sanam. “I’ve always been a perfume connoisseur, and launching my own fragrance collection was a lifelong ambition of mine.”
Hania Aamir has just stepped into the world of fragrances industry as the actress has announced to launch her own fragrance line. The actress took to Instagram and shared an attractive black and white photograph while posing with the product.
She wrote, “Ahhhh it’s happening!! So excited to announce my very own fragrance! Just to make it a little interesting before the launch my team and I will be doing a giveaway for all you lovely people! All you have to do is..”
The Diyar-e-Dil actor announced the exciting news on social media, revealing that the brand is going to be launched in collaboration with two of her cousins, Ansa and Zainab.
“If there is no dream there is no struggle. Me and my dear cousins are endeavouring to turn our lifelong dream into reality,” she posted. The actress expressed her gratitude by stating, “My belief is cemented now more than ever in the fact that Allah always makes a way if the intentions are pure.” She added that the venture was making her both anxious and excited at the same time.
Ayesha Omar is a fashion icon and has recently launched her skincare line under the name ‘Ayesha O Beauty’. The product range is all-natural and inspired by naturopathy as a healing force has natural and organic ingredients.
The products have been created according to what Ayesha wanted, after a great deal of research and testing, and are being manufactured by Hemani, a trusted name in natural and herbal retail industry.
Not only them but Aijaz Aslam is also one of the stars who launched his own brand of natural health and skincare products under the name of ‘Aijaz Aslam‘. The actor, who had been teasing fans with sneak peeks, took to social media to make the announcement of his new venture.
From the past few months, Maya Ali and Bilal Ashraf have been churning BFF goals all over social media with their pictures and comments. They were recently seen in Ahsan Khan’s chat show, Timeout With Ahsan Khan.
They also appeared together in Quetta Gladiators official anthem. Their camaraderie has been appreciated by netizens as they don’t shy away from indulging in fun banter on social media.
The federal government has decided to add intermediate students to an educational conditional cash transfer project, the Waseela-e-Taleem programme.
As per reports, Ehsaas board will have a meeting on June 24 for the final approval.
Under the project. intermediate students are given cash grants from underprivileged families on the condition of 70 per cent attendance in school. The Ehsaas Steering Committee has approved the inclusion of higher secondary education in the programme.
With such a development, they added that approximately 700,000 students would get the advantage and the government has planned to allot Rs5 billion worth of funds for the project in the next fiscal year.
The boys would get worth Rs3,500 cash stipend and girls would get worth Rs4,000 every quarter.
Moreover, students from the 6th to 10th standard would also get conditional cash assistance under this programme According to the plan, boys in the above-mentioned class bracket would get worth Rs2,500 cash assistance and girls would get worth Rs3,000 stipend from July every quarter.
United Nations (UN) SecretaryGeneral, António Guterres has been re-elected for a second five-year term, on Friday by the 193 state members of the UN general assembly.
As per reports, earlier this month, a 15-membered Security Council body unanimously recommended his name for the re-appointment. His official tenure will start from January 1, 2022, which lasts to 2026.
This announcement was made by the President of the UN General Assembly Volkan Bozkir, after that he took oath from Guterres at the podium of the UN General Assembly hall.
He expressed his gratitude by saying that serving in UN is an immense privilege and noble duty to him.
I am deeply honoured and grateful for the trust placed in me to serve as the Secretary-General of the United Nations for a second term.
Serving the @UN is an immense privilege and a most noble duty.
Guterres’s major focus throughout his tenure has always been uniting the world behind efforts to combat climate change and environmental collapse. In 2017, he succeeded Korean diplomat, Ban Ki Moon who also served twice as the UN Eighth Secretary General.
António Guterres, a Portuguese National currently is 72 years old. In the past, he also had served twice as the Prime Minister of Portugal.
