Author: newsdesk

  • VIDEO: ‘How to deal with corruption’ ft. Ali Gul Pir

    Comedian and rapper-vlogger Ali Gul Pir, who is known for his sarcastic and funny takes on different issues, has now shared a video on Prime Minister Imran Khan’s plan to eradicate corruption.

    “How to deal with corruption #NoMoreParty #NoMoreShaadi,” wrote Ali in the caption. He also PM Khan and added the original clip in the thread.

    In the video Ali, who has dubbed PM Khan’s voice on him, can be heard saying: “Woh koi jail se niklta hai. Arbon rupay ki corruption ke charges per, log phool pheank rahe hain uske uper.”

    “Mujhe yeh batein kaise corruption khatam hogi?,” says Pir further. “Jo corruption karega, rishwat dega, woh hamare me se nahi hai.“

    “Unn gharon me[jahan corruption hoti hai] log shaadi nahi karein gein, unko log parties per nahin bulaein ge,” adds the comedian.

    Meanwhile, netizens are loving the video. Check out some reactions below:

    https://twitter.com/farazazhar/status/1372205552898506755

    Earlier, on February 27, Pir released a song as a humorous tribute to the four trees Pakistan lost in the Balakot airstrike. In the song, the rapper talked about fantastic tea and fallen trees while gyrating in a forest in the video.

  • Army chief cites unresolved disputes as reasons behind regional debt, poverty

    Army chief cites unresolved disputes as reasons behind regional debt, poverty

    Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Thursday said unresolved disputes in South Asia were dragging the entire region into debt and poverty, in a veiled reference to the Kashmir issue.

    Addressing a gathering on the final day of the Islamabad Security Dialogue, COAS Bajwa said the national security encompassed more than just matters and affairs related to strengthening the country’s security forces.

    “It included development and human security as well,” he said.

    “We feel it is time to bury the past and move forward,” he said, adding that the onus for meaningful dialogue rested with India.

    “Our neighbour will have to create a conducive environment, particularly in occupied Kashmir.”

    “The world has seen the ravages of the world wars and the Cold War, wherein polarisation and neglect of virtues blighted the future and brought catastrophic consequences for humanity,” he said.

    “Today the leading drivers of change in the world are demography, economy and technology. However, one issue that remains central to this concept is economic security and cooperation. Frayed relations between various powers centres of the globe and boomeranging of competing alliances can bring nothing but another stint of Cold War.”

    Congratulating the National Security Division on organising the dialogue, Gen Bajwa stated that the contemporary concept of national security was not just about protecting countries from an external and internal threat.

    It is also about providing a conducive environment for ensuring human security, national progress and development, he said.

    The army chief’s comments come a a day after Prime Minister Imran Khan said that India would have to make the first move to normalise ties with Pakistan.

    “We are trying, but India would have to take the first step and unless it does that we cannot move ahead,” the prime minister had said while inaugurating the Islamabad Security Dialogue.

  • Maulana tells workers to continue long march preps despite PDM falling out

    Maulana tells workers to continue long march preps despite PDM falling out

    Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has directed the party’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) chapter to continue preparations for the March 26 long march to Islamabad, reports said Thursday.

    A letter was written to the party’s KP leadership on Fazl’s directives, directing the leaders not to slow down the preparations. The letter said the long march has only been postponed until Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) makes its decision on the march.

    Nine of the 11 component parties of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) are ready to participate in the long march while PPP has sought time to make a final decision concerning en masse resignations, the letter said.

    The development comes two days after the opposition alliance announced to postpone the long march after PPP linked its resignations from the legislative assemblies with deposed prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) supreme leader Nawaz Sharif’s return — a condition PML-N termed out of the question.

    “Nine parties [of PDM] were in favour of resignations along with the long march but PPP had expressed some reservations,” Fazl told reporters on Tuesday, adding the PPP would discuss the matter during its upcoming central executive committee (CEC) meeting.

    A day earlier, Fazl held a telephonic conversation with Nawaz and urged him to return to Pakistan, saying with top PML-N leadership living abroad in self-exile, it was difficult to execute decisions taken by the opposition alliance.

    After spending a year in prison, Nawaz, 71, secured a conditional bail in November 2019 to travel to London on the pretext of medical treatment and has since refused to return.

    His party insists that despite being summoned by the courts, which declared him a proclaimed offender in multiple corruption trials, the former premier will only return after the completion of his medical treatment.

  • KHI Zoo’s Elephants In Trouble

    KHI Zoo’s Elephants In Trouble









    *|MC:SUBJECT|*

    Hey, *|MERGE1|*. Its March 18.To make the platform safer for kids, Instagram will no longer let adults message teens who don’t follow them. It is a good first step but there is still a long way to go to make social media safe for children. What do you think?

    It will be sunny in all major cities today!

     

    Laila-The Current 

    MORNING MEME
     

    Reform the electoral process  

    Prime Minister Imran Khan has requested National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser to “immediately” constitute an inter-party parliamentary committee in order to discuss electoral reforms and end the issue of corrupt practices in polls.

    On the other hand, Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry has said that the government will begin contempt proceedings against the members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), including the chief election commissioner (CEC) if they do not resign from their posts.

    Read On

    Firdous Ashiq Awan lashes out at talk show host and other guests
     

    Special Assistant to Chief Minister Punjab on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan lashed out at PPP’s Agha Rafiullah during Geo News’ program, Aapas Ki Baat, after which PML-N leader Mian Javed Latif walked out from the show.

    Read On

    Karachi Zoo management denies foreign animal experts access to ‘ailing’ elephants

    The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) has allegedly denied international veterinarians and animal experts access to Karachi Zoo and Karachi Safari Zoo elephants, preventing them from assessing their health. 

    On the other hand, KMC spokesperson Ali Hassan Sajid has refuted the claims saying that the elephants are in good health and that all this is just propaganda to raise ‘chanda’.
    .

    Read On

        TikTok star Jannat Mirza to make her film debut with Saima

    TikTok star Jannat Mirza is all set to make her film debut with a Punjabi movie Tere Bajre Di Rakhi, expected to release this Eid-ul-Fitr.

    The movie has been written and directed by Syed Noor and features Saima, Saleem Albela, Shafqat Cheema, Mustafa Qureshi besides Mirza and other Lollywood stars.

    Read On

    Drama review |  The Current Top 5   

    From Mehmal’s husband’s pawry in Fitoor to Meerab ka endless rona in Log Kya Kahengay, tune into The Current Top 5 Drama Review to have a good laugh!

    Watch

    On this day: 18 March

    FIRST MAN TO WALK IN SPACE

    On this day, In 1965 a Soviet cosmonaut and Air Force General Lt. Col. Alexei Leonov became the first person to conduct a spacewalk, exiting the capsule during a mission for 12 minutes and 9 seconds. This took place just days before the U.S. planned to launch its first two-man spaceship.

    Current Baba’s prediction

    Be cautious of unknown calls and messages, don’t believe in every message you get on your phone. No, you have not won 10 lakhs in Fahad Mustafa’s show and the Corona vaccine is certainly not a conspiracy against Muslims.

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  • Asad Umar warns stricter lockdowns if SOPs not followed

    Minister for Planning and Development and National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) chairperson Asad Umar has said the country has witnessed a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases, warning that if the standard operation procedures (SOPs) are not followed, the government will be forced to take stricter measures.

    “Sharp spike in COVID positivity,” wrote Umar in a tweet. “Hospital daily admissions and people in critical care rising fast.”

    “If SOP compliance does not improve, we will be forced to place stronger restrictions on activities,” warned the minister, adding: “The new strain spreads faster and is more deadly.”

    The NCOC also warned the same in a statment.

    “The NCOC was apprised on implementation of various health guidelines as already issued to all federating units. NCOC was apprised that implementation on those guidelines needs comprehensive review. NCOC showed serious concern on rising disease trend and mortality rate,” read the statement.

    “The forum was briefed that a sharply rising trend in disease is visible and positivity has crossed 7.5 percent. Almost all major cities have crossed 5% positivity,” it said further. “Provincial administrations have been asked to take immediate actions for strict implementation of SOPs.”

    The NCOC added that “serious concern was shown on general disregard of SOPs by masses. Mass violations of SOPs and disrespect of orders including not wearing of mask, disregard of social distancing are widely reported.”

    It appealed to the citizens “to display good example of social behavior and follow the SOPs in letter and spirit, otherwise, strict measures will have to be taken which may result into closure of business and restrictions on economic and social activities.”

    The NCOC further said that COVID vaccination centers across the country will remain closed on Sundays and national holidays.

    Read more – COVID-19: Here’s what you can and cannot do amid lockdown in Punjab

    Later, Minister for Industries Hammad Azhar also urged businesses and corporations to strictly implement COVID protocols to avoid inconvenience.

    According to the latest statistics, Pakistan has reported a total of 3,495 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours. This is the highest number of daily cases recorded since 3,795 cases on December 6, 2020.

    A total of 61 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours. Meanwhile, the national positivity rate has risen to 7.8 per cent as the country battles a third wave of the pandemic.

    Meanwhile, Umar on Wednesday also announced that over 41 thousand people were vaccinated the previous day marking the highest daily vaccination rate. Vaccinations for those aged 60 and above commenced on March 10.

  • A Pakistani Win At The Oscars?

    A Pakistani Win At The Oscars?









    *|MC:SUBJECT|*

    Hey, *|MERGE1|*. It’s March 17.I hope you are having a great week. We got a message in our inbox asking why The Current was named ‘The Current’. We wanted to give the platform a name that was young and cool and made sense in both English and Urdu – happening right now and something electrifyingly woke. 

    Today’s forecast calls for lots of sunshine, along with light winds in Peshawar and Islamabad.

    Soak the Sun!  

     

    Laila-The Current 

    MORNING MEME
     

      PDM  March Postponed
     

    Pakistan Democratic Movement has decided to postpone the long march until March 26. The decision came after Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) expressed reservations over resignations from the assemblies.

    Zardari asks Nawaz Shrarif to return to Pakistan?

    Former president Asif Ali Zardari has reportedly asked former Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif to return to Pakistan in today’s PDM meeting. 

    Zardari also said that “if we have to fight together, then we have to go to jail together as well”. 

    Read On

    NAB strongly reacts to Maryam’s tirade

    Reacting to PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz’ tirade, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has dismissed her statement as an attempt to halt ongoing investigation against the Sharif family in Chaudhry Sugar Mills and money laundering cases.

    A day ago, Maryam had questioned who gave the bureau the right to “judge [her] statements”.
    NAB nay kaha kay unko lagta hai kay the PML-N leader was trying to cause differences among institutions.

    Read On

    Bride in Mardan asks for Rs 100,000 worth of books as ‘Haq Mehr’ ?

    A bride in Mardan has asked her husband to give her Rs 100,000 worth of books as Haq Mehr.
    Naila Shamal Safi is a writer and says that she wanted books to highlight their importance in our daily lives. Naila is a resident of Tangi area of North Safi Charsadda while her husband Dr Sajjad Jwandun is a resident of Bhai Khan area of Mardan. Dr Jwandun has completed his PhD in Pashto while Naila is currently pursuing her PhD.

    Read On

    Riz Ahmed becomes first Muslim to bag ‘Best Actor’ nomination at Oscars

    Riz Ahmed, who played the role of a drummer who begins to lose his hearing in the ‘Sound of Metal’ created history by becoming the first British-Pakistani and first Muslim to be nominated in the leading actor category at the Academy Awards.

    This is also for the first time that two Asian actors have been nominated in the Best Actor category. Nine of the 20 acting nods went to non-white performers, including Riz and a South Korean Yuh-Jung Youn of Minari, in what Variety Magazine described as the most diverse acting Oscars slate ever.

    Read On

    On this day: 17 March

    PM Khan uttered his golden words,“ Apne Ghabraana Nahi Hai”

     Today on this day, last year Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan addressed the nation about the global pandemic for the first time. It was the first time he used his signature phrase “Ghabraana nahi hai,” meaning “not to worry”, ruling out a nationwide shutdown to contain the virus.

    Current Baba’s prediction

    Your patience might be tested today, lekin sabr se kam lein! 

    HEY, WAIT A SECOND PLEASE. 
     
    If you like the newsletter, make sure that this email doesn’t get lost in promotions or spam.

    Here’s how: 

    • Through your phone, add us by hitting the “Kabob,” (the three dots in upper right-hand corner). Then click “move to,” and select “primary inbox.”
    • If you’re using a desktop just drag and drop the email into primary as shown in the video below. (You can also do this on your phone if you open your email in your browser). Easy.

    And don’t forget to send us your feedback. We would love to hear from you 

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  • HR ministry directs Lahore university to re-admit expelled students

    The Ministry of Human Rights (MoHR) has directed the University of Lahore to re-admit the expelled students, saying that the university “overreacted” on the matter.

    According to a report in Dawn, MoHR Parliamentary Secretary Lal Chand Malhi wrote a letter to the University of Lahore’s vice-chancellor, requesting him to re-admit the expelled students. The letter was reportedly written on March 16.

    The letter said that the university administration expelled the students without giving them the chance to explain themselves and that the university “overreacted” on the matter.

    Terming the university’s action as “moral policing,” the ministry said: “Both the girl and the boy did not commit such a heinous crime for which they were punished “severely and expelled from the university. This would destroy their career and future education opportunities.”

    “This kind of freedom[proposing] is outlined in Article 16 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to which Pakistan is party and also under the UN Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,” read the letter further.

    Background

    The University of Lahore expelled two students for publicly expressing their love and proposing on university grounds. In a video that went viral on social media, a girl could be seen getting down on one knee and asking her partner to marry him with a bouquet of roses. The proposal ended with the two hugging each other.

    According to a notification, dated March 12, the two students were expelled for “[being] involved in gross misconduct and violation of university rules and were called to appear before the special disciplinary committee [but] failed to appear.”

    Public Reaction

    The expulsion of the students in Lahore over a public proposal has created an uproar on social media with users criticising the university administration for the shallow-minded approach. Prominent personalities who criticised the university for its decision included Federal Minister Fawad Chaudhry, PPP’s Sharmila Faruqi, Shehzad Roy, Yasir Hussain and Shaniera Akram.

  • Firdous Ashiq Awan lashes out at talk show host, guests

    Special Assistant to Chief Minister Punjab on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan lashed out at PPP’s Agha Rafiullah during Geo News Aapas Ki Baat, after which PML-N leader Mian Javed Latif walked out from the show.

    The debate started when Dr Awan mentioned PML-N while replying to a question about recent political developments, and Agha Rafiullah interrupted her, which enraged her and she lashed out at him and programme host Muneeb Farooq. Things further escalated when Rafiullah used a derogatory term to refer Firdous Ashiq Awan. The heated debate was beeped out several times when abuses were reportedly exchanged.

    She also accused the host of ‘ fixing’ the show saying such things always happen in this show.

    In December last year, PML-N’s Azma Bukhari and Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan had traded barbs in the same show, forcing the host to end the programme. However, their disagreement did not end even after the show, as both politicians almost came to blows on the news channel’s premises.

  • RFAK dedicates Lifetime Achievement Award to Pakistani citizens

    The Arts Council of Pakistan (ACP) has honoured Rahat Fateh Ali Khan (RFAK) with the Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his outstanding and great services to the field of entertainment. In addition to that, he was also given an Honourary Lifetime Membership, the Associated Press of Pakistan has reported.

    Sindh Minister for Culture Syed Sardar Shah, while speaking at the occasion he said that it was an honour for them to have such an esteemed artist of the present era among them. He further said that the two renowned voices of the sub-continent – Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Abida Parveen – had emerged because of their own talents adding that a concert would be held in honour of these both artistes in the metropolis.

    He continued: “We are proud to present the lifetime achievement award and lifetime membership of Arts Council to Rahat Fateh Ali Khan in recognition of his massive achievements.”

    Later, RFAK also planted a tree at the occasion.

    Rahat expressed his joy over receiving the award and dedicated the award to Pakistani citizens.

    In 2019, received Wembley Arena Award. He is the first Asian singer to have received the award.

  • ‘Zardari memes’ break the internet

    ‘Zardari memes’ break the internet

    Ever since PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari urged former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to return to the country at the earliest, memes have taken over the internet.

    Social media is lit with ‘Zardari’ memes and some of them will give you a good laugh.