Author: newsdesk

  • ‘Nand’ hits 100 episodes

    ‘Nand’ hits 100 episodes

    Pakistani dramas are often criticised for unnecessarily dragging the story. Those which usually start off at a good pace eventually get stuck in a rut and lose audiences’ interest. Ongoing drama serial Nand has gone too far in following this trend, crossing 100 episodes.

    The drama has taken a complete turn from when it began and we now have new characters and situations driving the plot. The titular character, Gohar aka the Nand, has gotten a face transformation and Faiza Hasan, who initially played the role and was a major attraction, has been replaced by Javeria Saud. The Nand is not the only one who has undergone a change but another female protagonist Rabi (played by Minal Khan) died in Episode 95 that aired on January 13. Rabi and her daughter Dua died in a car accident in Germany, where they had gone to visit Rabi’s sister-in-law.

    While most viewers thought that when Gohar lost her mind after she was exposed for ruining her brothers’ marriage and creating a ruckus in the family, the drama would end, they were in for a surprise when it continued with multiple twists and turns before returning to square one. After Gohar was admitted to a hospital and treated for her mental condition, she regained her memory and got a brand new face. She returned to a completely different household and began to create havoc again.

    On the other hand, Gohar’s brother Saqib[Shahroz Sabzwari] and Hassan[Ayaz Samoo] remarried after getting divorced from their first wives. While Saqib’s wife is a mild-natured girl, Hassan’s new wife, Gul Rukh[Amna Malick] is evil and greedy. She even killed her mother-in-law with her mother Naeema’s help.

    Meanwhile, another mother-daughter duo – Sundus and Amna – have entered the storyline. The two have come to Pakistan from Germany with Rabi’s things to give to Jahangir [Aijaz Aslam].

    With multiple new faces taking the story forward, Gohar is now plotting to get rid of Gul Rukh and Naeema.

    Produced by Fahad Mustafa’s Big Bang Entertainment, Nand is written by Sameena Aijaz and directed by Zeeshan Ali Zaidi.

    Read more – Highest-viewed Pakistani drama episodes in 2020

    As absurd as the drama is, Nand has proven to be a commercial success, trending on television as well as on YouTube. According to some estimates, it was also one of the top TV plays with the highest ratings in November 2020.

  • Govt plans to mortgage Islamabad’s biggest park to get loan

    In order to meet its financial requirements, the federal government has decided to mortgage the F-9 park in Islamabad to a get loan of about Rs500 billion through issuing bonds.

    The F-9 park, also known as Fatima Jinnah Park is spread on 759 acres of land, making it one of the largest covered green areas in Pakistan.

    According to a report in Dawn, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has already issued a no-objection certificate in this regard. The proposal to mortgage the park has been included in the agenda of the meeting of the federal cabinet to be held on Tuesday.

    This is not the first time that a government is planning to mortgage a national asset to get loans through national and international bonds.

  • Ronaldo rejects Rs8 crores-a-month deal with Saudi Arabia ‘because it sportswashes human rights abuse’

    Footballing star Cristiano Ronaldo has reportedly rejected a $6 million-a-year (Rs96 crores-a-year or Rs8 crores-a-month) offer to be the face of Saudi Arabian tourism.

    But the Middle Eastern country has not given up hope of attracting a world-class footballer to help them out, with Lionel Messi in their sights.

    According to The Telegraph, the deal on offer is understood to include the player making visits to the Kingdom and his image being used in all promotional material. But the 35-year-old Juventus striker has decided to “pass” on the offer.

    Concerns have been raised over Saudi Arabia’s human rights record as the country tries to attract world-class sport to its shores. Sports and entertainment have formed part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 strategy to diversify the economy and improve its international reputation.

    However, groups such as Amnesty International have long campaigned against what it says is the Kingdom’s use of such connections to distract from its human rights violations. 

    Meanwhile, Messi’s views on the deal are not yet known.

    Representatives of both Ronaldo and Messi, however, have refused to discuss the matter when approached by The Telegraph.

    Saudi Arabia staged the Spanish Super Cup in Jeddah in 2020, with Messi’s Barcelona competing for the trophy alongside Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Valencia. 

    In October, a coalition of human rights groups called for a boycott of the first Ladies European Tour golf event being held in Saudi Arabia over concerns it would be used to “sportswash” Riyadh’s record on women’s rights.

    Also last year, Amnesty cautioned against Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund’s attempted takeover of Newcastle United FC of the English Premier League. 

    The takeover ultimately failed after several months of waiting to pass the league’s owners and directors test.
     
    Amnesty International has also raised concerns over this year’s Saudi Formula One race planned for Jeddah. 

  • ‘Please Abu ko kahen schools band kardein’: Students request Tara Mahmood to convince Shafqat Mahmood

    ‘Please Abu ko kahen schools band kardein’: Students request Tara Mahmood to convince Shafqat Mahmood

    Ever since students discovered that Suno Chanda’s Masooma aka Tara Mahmood is Minister of Education Shafqat Mahmood’s daughter, her social media has been flooded with requests and appeals from students who are asking the actor to convince her father to close schools. The government had announced that schools and universities will reopen in three phases from January 18.

    Read more – Memes break the internet after Shafqat Mahmood announces reopening of schools

    “Ma’am please apnay Baba say kahen keh humaray papers online kar dein,” “Please colleges aur schools band karwa dein Abba ko keh kar” are just some of the messages the actor has been receiving on social media. Some have even commented that they are sure Shafqat will listen to her because “betiyon ki baat baap nahi taaltay”.

    While Tara has not yet responded to the comments, earlier while responding to a social media user, she had said: “Schools shut for long will harm many students who don’t have access to online education.”

    “As a minister, he has to think about everyone in this country. And there are people out there dying for educational institutes to open. Hang in there and protect yourself by wearing a mask. Trust me, nothing will happen,” she added.

    Earlier, in an exclusive interview with The Current, Shafqat had said that closing schools and universities late last year was a “difficult decision”.

    “I think children don’t want to go to school,” the minister had said. “But seriously it was a difficult decision to close schools, colleges and universities. InshAllah as soon as the situation gets better, we will open them again.”

    Shafqat Mahmood has three daughters, two of who are twins. The actor has often shared pictures of her family on social media.

  • Zardari says PDM united to send govt home

    Zardari says PDM united to send govt home

    In an apparent attempt to bridge the rift between the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) parties, former president Asif Ali Zardari said the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the PDM will send the “failed and incompetent” government home by all means.

    In a statement issued by PPP leader Chaudhry Manzoor on Sunday, the former president said that the next few months were “very important for the future of the country’s politics”.

    According to the PPP co-chairman, the PDM is united and would use all means to send the government home. “These selected rulers will fall with their own weight and they just need a last push,” he added.

    Zardari said the government will have to go home as its “inexperience and ineptness might plunge the country into a bigger crisis”.

    He further criticised the government for its inability to handle the coronavirus crisis, saying the PTI government would neither procure coronavirus vaccine nor spend anything on the public.

    The PPP government had increased the country’s exports from Rs19 billion to Rs26bn in 2008 despite global economic recession and its revenues had also doubled, he said, adding that the government also increased the salaries of the government employees by 125 per cent.

    On Saturday, PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had said that the opposition should bring a no-trust vote against Prime Minister Imran Khan to send his government home. His remarks had prompted a strong response from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), with its leader Ahsan Iqbal asking the PPP chairman to show the numbers.

    The response had given rise to speculations of a rift between the PPP and other PDM parties.

    Chaudhry Manzoor was quoted by Express Tribune saying that the PPP would use all available options to send the government “home”. He said that PPP hasn’t ruled out mass resignations and the long march, adding that a final decision will be taken with consensus.

    He also denied reports of a rift between the PDM parties, saying the difference of opinion shouldn’t be misconstrued. “The Senate elections will expose fissures in the government, which is when the option of no-confidence motion can bear fruit,” he was quoted as saying.

    Meanwhile, PML-N Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal welcomed Zardari’s statement, as reported by the newspaper. “If PPP has a surprise up its sleeves regarding the no-confidence motion then it should bring it on the table,” he said, reiterating that all PDM decisions are consensual.

  • ‘Humble Gen Bajwa waits in line for omelette brunch at Islamabad Club’, meets PML-N’s Zubair again

    Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa had Sunday brunch with his family at Islamabad Club and freely mingled up with other guests present there, The News has reported.

    According to the report as well as a letter to a local English daily by an eyewitness, the army chief of the world’s tenth strongest military seemed to direct the staff to remove all special arrangements that had been put up for him and his family ahead of their arrival.

    “At the omelette station, the waiting line was rather long. It was so heartening to see that Gen Bajwa stood in the queue (me and my family noticed with surprise and delight) for about 18 minutes before he was served with his omelette (no one wanted to give him his slot nor did the general ask for [it], he was totally comfortable),” read the letter.

    The letter went on to claim that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Muhammad Zubair, who had in the recent past made headlines for meeting military leadership despite his party’s strained relations with the establishment, and his family “were the only people who were not allowed to meet the general”.

    However, the PML-N leader rubbished the claim in conversation with The Current. “I met him with his family. We exchanged pleasantries for about 10 minutes. And that’s it. More than 150 people present there watched it all,” he said.

    “Why wouldn’t he meet me?” he went on to ask.

  • IN PICTURES: Varun Dhawan ties the knot

    IN PICTURES: Varun Dhawan ties the knot

    Varun Dhawan and Natasha Dalal have made it official after years of being in a relationship. The couple tied the knot in a low-key ceremony (by Bollywood standards) in Alibaug on January 24.

    Announcing the news on social media and sharing pictures from the wedding rituals, Varun wrote: “Life long just become official.”

    Despite the media frenzy and excitement surrounding the nuptials, the traditional Hindu wedding was a very private affair with only close friends and family present. There was a strict no-phone policy at the wedding and security was tightened to ensure that there are no leaks.

    From the film industry, only Manish Malhotra, Karan Johar, and Kunal Kohli were spotted at the festivities.

    After the nuptials, Varun and Natasha made an appearance in front of the media and posed for pictures. The couple looked resplendent in matching ivory outfits. While Manish designed Varun’s sherwani, it is being reported that Natasha, who is also a fashion designer, designed her own outfit.

    Sweets were also distributed among the paparazzi and media personnel present outside the wedding venue.

    Later, the bride’s makeup artist Namrata Soni shared a close-up video of Natasha’s makeup and look.

    Varun also shared pictures from his haldi ceremony, captioning them: “Haldi done right.”

    Varun and Natasha met while they were in school but started dating much later. The couple initially kept their relationship very private and strictly away from media attention. Varun, only recently opened up about his relationship on Kareena Kapoor Khan’s show What Women Want, saying: “I actually met Natasha in the 6th standard. We were friends till 11-12th. We were very close friends. I remember seeing her for the first time. We went to Maneckji Cooper [Education Trust School in Mumbai together]. It was on the basketball court that I saw her and I fell in love with her that day. That was it! She rejected me three to four times, but I didn’t give up hope.”

    Earlier, Natasha while talking about the relationship had said: “Varun and I were in school together. We stayed friends until we were in our mid-20s and then, I remember, we started dating just before I moved away. It was around then that, I think, we realised we were more than just good friends.”

    Meanwhile, Karan also penned an emotional note for Varun as he congratulated him on his wedding.

    Considering the wedding was limited to approximately 40-50 guests only in view of COVID-19 protocols, it is being reported the couple will host a lavish reception in Mumbai for their friends and members of the film fraternity on February 2.

  • Rs93bn on education, Rs25bn on health, Rs1,289bn on defence: How govt is spending in ‘Naya Pakistan’

    Rs93bn on education, Rs25bn on health, Rs1,289bn on defence: How govt is spending in ‘Naya Pakistan’

    Public sector universities are facing a financial crunch due to budget cuts and the coronavirus pandemic. Despite tall claims, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government didn’t allocate much for the higher education and the budget for the Higher Education Commission (HEC) remains nominal.

    Pakistan has at least 135 public-sector higher education institutions that cater to at least 1.8 million students, says a report in The News. But how much the country spends on its education? Not a lot when compared to other expenditures, such as defence and development.

    Education:

    The government had allocated Rs93 billion — Rs29.4bn is development budget — for the HEC for 2020-21 for development and non-development expenditures in the education sector. The HEC, however, had asked the government for a budget of Rs104bn, reported Dawn at the time.

    The decision to keep the education budget static amid a pandemic has proved expensive, as a number of universities are struggling to make ends meet. According to The News, the University of Engineering and Technology (UET) Lahore, the University of Peshawar, Shah Abdul Latif University Khairpur, Quaid-e-Azam University (QAU) Islamabad and others are facing issues regarding finances.

    Health:

    Pakistan is one of the countries that do not spend a lot on health. In 2019-20, the federal government had budgeted Rs11 billion for the current expenditure on health, reported Express Tribune. However, the government funneled Rs1bn more into the budget to counter the coronavirus threat. In the current financial year, Pakistan more than doubled the health budget to Rs25.5 billion due to COVID-19.

    However, the decision was still criticised as the country’s healthcare needed more than that to battle the deadly pandemic.

    Defence:

    The government spends a major chunk of its money on defence-related expenditures. In financial year 20-21, the allocations to the defence sector saw an 11 per cent increase from the previous year. Rs1,289 billion was allocated to the military.

    According to Ayesha Siddiqa, the author of Military Inc., “major acquisitions by the armed forces, spending on the public sector development programme (PSDP), expenditure on the nuclear programme and para-military forces, payments for military pensions, a newly set-up national security division and a few other military expenditures are not reflected in the budget. If these were to be added to it, Pakistan’s defence spending would be even higher — at around $11bn”.

     Development budget:

    Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a lull in economic activity, the government could increase its public-sector development spending. It had been budgeted at Rs1,324bn, 18pc below than last year’s budget.

    Of this, federal PSDP had been allocated Rs650 billion, while Rs676 billion had been allocated to provinces, as per Dawn.

  • Do Hareem Farooq and SRK think alike?

    Do Hareem Farooq and SRK think alike?

    Shah Rukh Khan recently posted a picture of himself playing pool on Instagram, captioning it: “As long as there is pink in the world, it will always be a better place.”

    The actor was seen sporting long locks in the picture, reportedly his look for his upcoming action-thriller Pathan.

    Hours after SRK’s post, Hareem Farooq shared a picture with a caption similar to the Bollywood star’s.

    “As long as there’s pink in the world it will always be a better place,” Hareem wrote alongside a picture of herself wearing a pink dress.

    When a follower asked Hareem if she had copied SRK’s caption, the actor said that she “had no idea” King Khan had posted the same caption.

    “I guess we think alike,” remarked Hareem.

    In response to Hareem’s comments, the user replied: “No doubt you think like a superstar.”

    Meanwhile, another Instagram user commented: “We all copy the captions from somewhere.”

  • Larry King passes away at 87

    Larry King passes away at 87

    Iconic TV and radio broadcaster Larry King, who interviewed anyone worth interviewing over a career spanning six decades, passed away on Saturday at the age of 87.

    The company he co-founded, Ora Media, did not state a cause of death but media reports said King had been battling COVID-19 for weeks and had suffered several health problems in recent years.

    King, with his trademark suspenders and black rim glasses, was best known for a 25-year run as a talk show host on CNN’s Larry King Live. He retired in 2010 after recording more than 6,000 episodes of the show. He also conducted an estimated 50,000 interviews in his six-decade career.

    “For 63 years and across the platforms of radio, television and digital media, Larry’s many thousands of interviews, awards, and global acclaim stand as a testament to his unique and lasting talent as a broadcaster,” Ora Media said in a statement posted on Twitter.

    King is survived by three sons. Last year, two of his adult children died within weeks of each other: Andy King, 65, suffered a heart attack and daughter Chaia King, 52, died after being diagnosed with lung cancer. King is survived by three sons.

    Meanwhile, Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry expressed his grief and condolences over King’s death.