Sana’s post was enough to irk the moral brigade who heavily criticised the veteran actor, forcing her to limit the comments section on her post.
Sana’s pictures are a reminder of the time when Sarwat Gilani and Fahad Mirza were at the receiving end of hate for publicly displaying their affection. Addressing the outrage, Sarwat, in an exclusive interview with The Current had said that she had expected such a reaction and hate that followed.
“Watching domestic abuse in dramas is fine by them,” said Sarwat. “Your TRPs shoot up. Excellent. But if a husband and his wife are appreciating each other, if they are expressing their love for each other, it’s a problem.”
“But it’s okay,” she continued. “InshAllah in due time, they will learn to digest love and acceptance too.”
Sana and Fakhar tied the knot in 2008 and have two sons together.
Next up, writer Khalil-Ur-Rehman Qamar, who is known for his smash super hit dramas and incredibly derogatory behaviour towards women, has been given a current affairs program. What? How is this even possible? A man who writes dramas for entertainment, treats and speaks about women like they’re trash, is hosting a show on politics?
The United States, on the other hand, elected its first female Vice President who is also of South Asian and Black heritage. Let’s be clear here. Her mother migrated from India to the US and raised her to be proud and strong. But do we all have to leave our country to be able to do that? To have that space to grow and breathe? All isn’t well in India either. Seems like they are also taking a page out of Pakistan’s ‘censor entertainment’ handbook and expressing their outrage over the depiction of Hindus in fictional series like Tandav and Mirzapur. Tandav starring Saif Ali Khan is supposed to be a binge-worthy watch but why does it have a 3.7 IMDb rating? Read Saman’s review on Tandav to find out if it’s worth the watch despite the rating. Can anything make me feel happy today?
Fahad has done a tech review, telling me about how cryptocurrency works and I’m glad I know how and why it exists, But you know what might lift my — and your — spirits? Nepali climbers made history by becoming the first to summit K2. After they made it to the top, a Pakistan Army helicopter picked them up and flew them to the Shigar Valley. Imagine how amazing that would’ve looked and how fantastic the climbers must feel. Must feel pretty great. It’s also mostly sunny today in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and Quetta – with a shower here and there in Peshawar.
What’s making you happy today? Let me know!
Marium
P.S. We’ve gone back to our previous format of giving you just the news on weekdays, with a note from me on Friday and Sunday. We figured that you guys like it better that way and hey, we are here for you!
Current Baba’s Prediction
You’ve made yourself a promise. You will not eat at restaurants whose owners are derogatory towards others and you will call them out when you see it happen. That’s the deal you’ve made with yourself and you should be super proud of it.
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Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari and fiancé Mahmood Choudhry will be tying the knot on January 29 at Bilawal House in Karachi.
According to reports, a spokesperson of Bilawal House has revealed the wedding festivities will begin with a Milad function on January 24. This will be followed by a simple mehndi ceremony on January 27.
The nikkah will take place on January 29 while the baarat is scheduled for January 30. All events are expected to take place at the bride’s residence in Karachi.
The spokesman said that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari will be suspending his political activities for a week to participate in sister’s wedding. He was unable to attend her engagement as he was in isolation after testing positive for COVID-19.
The spokesperson further added that close to a thousand guests have been invited to the wedding. Invitations have reportedly also been sent to important political leaders of the country including military leaders and judicial heads.
Bakhtawar and Mahmood got engaged on November 27, 2020, in an intimate ceremony at the Bilawal House Karachi.
Meanwhile, earlier the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in an official statement, had shared that Bakhtawar’s husband-to-be “Mahmood Choudhry is the son of Mohammad Younas and Begum Suraiya Choudhry who hail from the old town of Lahore.”
“Mahmood, the last born of five siblings was born on July 28, 1988, in the city of Abu Dhabi. He completed his primary schooling in Abu Dhabi and secondary schooling in the United Kingdom. Mahmood further went on to read Law at the University of Durham.”
“The family’s primary country of residence remains the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where Mahmood continues to run his businesses in construction, finance and tech,” added the statement.
Ghissi Pitti Mohabbat has turned out to be one of those rare dramas which concluded on a positive and satisfying note andviewers couldn’t be happier.
The drama, which had audiences hooked from the first couple of episodes, ended with Samia (Ramsha Khan) choosing the single life after a string of failed relationships and marriages. She decided that she has had enough of societal pressures and dealing with workplace issues and set up her own restaurant where she employed transgender staff. The ending was refreshing and remarkably different from what we are used to seeing on Pakistani television.
Writer Fasih Bari Khan brilliantly used satire and sarcasm to send across social messages and presented a solid script and story. That coupled with brilliant performances from the lead cast including Khan, Wahaj Ali, Ali Abbas, Shahood Alvi, Saba Faisal, and Sajeeruddin made the drama a winner.
Audiences have lauded the show for showing a positive and empowered woman in the form of Samia. Check out some reactions below:
I’ve been following this drama since Episode One. The acting, the direction, the script writing, everything was nop notch. Rimsha’s acting in Ishqiya was quite boring TBH, but her potential has been fully utilised in this show. A perfect ending ❤️#GhisiPitiMohabbatpic.twitter.com/q3fkjIItW4
What a breath of fresh air was #GhisiPitiMohabbat in the mundane /mediocre storylines our risk averse writers and directors take on these days. Well done to the whole team and @ramshakofficial for a memorable performance. More power to you.
Jamal Shah has received the prestigious Ordre des Arts et des Lettres or Order of Arts and Letters from the French Ministry of Culture. The award, established in 1957, “recognises eminent artists and writers, as well as people who have contributed significantly to furthering the arts in France and throughout the world”. The Order of Arts and Letters is given out three times annually under the jurisdiction of the Minister of Culture and Communication.
The veteran actor had earlier shared the news on social media by sharing pictures of the letter. According to the letter, Shah was conferred the Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters.
“This award is given to personalities who have distinguished themselves by their creation in the artistic or literary fields or by the contribution they have made to the influence of the Art and Letters in France and around the world,” read the letter.
As per the letter, Shah is being honoured for his commitment to the Pakistani culture and bilateral corporation between the two countries.
Meanwhile, other recipients of the award include Marilyn Horne, Jim Jarmusch, Richard Meier, Robert Paxton, Robert Redford, Meryl Streep, and Uma Thurman.
Peshawar Zalmi’s decision to appoint Esra Bilgiç as the face of the team has irked Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, who took to social media to express her disapproval.
Commenting under a post, which speculated that Zalmi has chosen Esra as their brand ambassador for the upcoming edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), Sharmeen said: “I find this hilarious! A Turkish actress whose country doesn’t even play the sport will now be a mascot for cricket.”
“What happened to Pakistani actresses by the way?” she continued. “Did they all disappear that we have to get foreign ones? Whatever is left of our industry will die if you keep paying Turkish actors for jobs Pakistani actors can do!”
When an Instagram user responded to Chinoy and said that giving work to foreign actors will be good for the industry, Chinoy said: “You don’t know anything about the industry. How can you say it’s good for it?”
“We have a very small industry, we have to protect it,” she continued. “Once we grow, we can open up. Please do your research before making such tall claims.”
“This is not about close-mindedness or about being jealous, this is being practical given the resources we have,” she added.
Responding to another user who advised her not to be jealous, Chinoy said: “Last I checked I was a filmmaker, not an actress but since most of you don’t care about Pakistani film industry, let me lay it out for you.”
“If you stop sponsoring your own actors and actresses whatever is left of the industry will die. But trolls like you don’t care that you can take a punt at me! Good luck with that,” she added.
Bilgiç aka Haleema Sultan recently left fans in a tizzy after she posted a picture of Islamia University Peshawar with the caption “The City of Flowers”.
While it has not yet been confirmed whether the star has signed a deal with the team, Peshawar Zalmi owner Javed Afridi added more fuel to the fire by retweeting Esra’s tweet and posting one with the same caption.
Earlier in July 2020, Afridi had asked Zalmi fans what they thought about having the cast of Dirilis: Ertuğrul as the brand ambassador of the team. Responding to Afridi’s tweet, the Turkish actress had said: “I will be sharing some good news with you soon.”
Recently, several Turkish actors from the super hit drama series have visited Pakistan for different purposes. From Engin Altan Düzyatan (Ertuğrul Bey) to Cavit Çetin Güner (Dogan Alp) and Celal AL (Abdur Rehman Alp), almost every prominent actor from the drama series has visited different cities of the country.
Diriliş: Ertuğrul has been trending in Pakistan ever since its first episode aired on PTV Home in Ramzan 2020. Pakistanis are loving the drama series and it has become a sensation in the country. According to details, millions of people have tuned in to watch the show on PTV and YouTube.
Two of the country’s major opposition parties, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), have expressed reservations on the investigation panel that is to be headed by former Supreme Court (SC) justice, Azmat Saeed, to investigate the Broadsheet scandal.
Speaking to a private media outlet on Thursday, senior PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal pointed out that the former SC judge was part of the bench in the Panama Papers case that disqualified then prime minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif.
“He was later invited by PM Imran Khan to join the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital’s Board of Governors after his retirement.”
Ahsan also pointed out that during the Musharraf regime, when the asset recovery agreement was signed with Broadsheet, Justice Azmat was part of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
Meanwhile, PPP Secretary General Nayyer Bukhari said the PTI’s dishonesty had been exposed by the nomination of committee head. “It seems that the government wants to put all the blame on the previous governments.”
Bukhari said the PPP has reservations on the committee, adding, “it is a sensitive matter which should be investigated in a transparent manner.”
According to the Supreme Court’s website, Justice Azmat was the anti-graft watchdog’s deputy prosecutor general in Islamabad in the year 2000 for a period of one year and was later appointed NAB special prosecutor in 2001 to prosecute cases before accountability courts at Attock Fort and in Rawalpindi.
However, it is not clear if the former judge had played a role, if any, in the formulation and signing of the asset recovery agreement and/or its eventual termination.
It was reported earlier on Thursday that Azmat will lead the inquiry commission to examine the circumstances relating to the Broadsheet agreement and subsequent arbitration proceedings that resulted in substantial loss to the national exchequer.
The announcement was made by Information Minister Shibli Faraz.
Science and Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhry also said that “PM Imran Khan has appointed Justice (r) Azmat Saeed as head of the Broadsheet inquiry committee”, adding that the remaining members of the committee would be appointed with Justice (r) Azmat’s consultation.
With multiple media outlets reporting that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan will be meeting Tesla executives to discuss investment opportunities in the Pakistani Electric Vehicle (EV) market, the screenshot of a tweet by Tesla Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Elon Musk “mocking” Pakistan has started doing the rounds on social media.
Tesla Inc is an American EV and clean energy company based in California. Its current products include electric cars, battery energy storage from home to grid-scale, solar panels and solar roof tiles, as well as other related products and services.
PM Imran is reportedly due to meet Tesla executives as Pakistan announces its plans to promote EVs and India gears up to welcome the Musk-run company.
However, the news of the premier’s meeting was followed by a screenshot of the tweet wherein Musk had purportedly taken a dig at Pakistan’s power shortage vows.
“First bring electricity,” read the tweet that seems to be nothing more than a meme since it could not be found on Musk’s Twitter handle.
As for the PM’s reported plans of meeting Tesla executives, the news came from renowned journalist Sabir Shakir via a video clip shared on Javed Afridi’s social media page.
In the video, Shakir states that Afridi, who is a key stakeholder in MG Pakistan, has already had a couple of meetings with the officials at Tesla Motors. He said that the world’s largest and most prolific EV maker had already expressed interest in investing in the Pakistani automotive market.
Pakistan’s new EV policy was introduced by the government late last year, wherein it had announced a number of benefits and incentives for both interested investors in the local EV sector and potential buyers.
Reports say Afridi has been at the forefront of campaigning for EVs to be made the norm in Pakistan. Additionally, MG is also set to introduce the ZS EV in Pakistan, reportedly in the first quarter of 2021.
A 21-year-old man found himself in a strange situation when he woke up from a seven-month coma, he found homicide detectives around him when he opened his eyes. The detectives were reportedly there to charge him with the murder of his girlfriend.
As per details, Weijie went into a coma with critical head injuries last June after falling from the fourth floor balcony of his apartment in Wolli Creek, in south Sydney, Australia.
The next-day when the police visited his house for investigation, they discovered the dead body of his 19-year old girlfriend there.
It is not yet clear whether he intentionally fell from the apartment but Detective Inspector Robert Alison said “witnesses told us he fell from the fourth floor of a common area, so it was either misadventure or a suicide attempt”.
“He is very, very lucky to be alive,” added Detective Inspector Alison. “Most people would have not survived.”
The alleged killer was in a coma for almost seven months.
He and his girlfriend, hailing from China, had been together for two years and were studying in Australia on student visas. Detective Inspector Alison acknowledged how difficult the incident was for Pan’s family, who were unable to attend her funeral due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.
“It is horrific. I really do feel for the family,” Alison said. “The distance being so far away makes it even more difficult for them. But we are working closely with them.”
He has been refused bail and is due to face court via video link on Wednesday.
The federal government has announced free coronavirus vaccine for all Pakistanis, saying the government will inoculate health workers and elderly people in the first phase.
Dr Faisal Sultan, prime Minister’s aide on health, said that the government is eyeing procurement of at least 20 million vaccine doses in the first stage; however, only 1 million doses will be procured by March this year.
He further said that the registration process for the vaccination is underway and the government would soon begin the drive once the vaccine doses arrive from China.
Reports say China will provide 0.5 million vaccines by the end of this month free of cost, while more vaccines from China will arrive in Islamabad next month.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi also talked about the procurement from the United Kingdom. He said the government was in talks with the UK to procure the vaccine developed by the British pharmaceutical company.
So far, three firms, British firm Oxford-AstraZeneca, Chinese firm Sinopharm and CanSino Biologics, have asked Pakistan to buy their vaccine. Oxford-AstraZeneca and Sinopharm are already registered with Pakistan whereas CanSino is conducting phase-III trials in the country.
Recently, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) had expressed serious concerns over the government’s decision to ask provinces and the private sector to import the coronavirus vaccine.
As per the details, with the Cabinet Committee on Procurement of COVID-19 Vaccine briefing Prime Minister Imran Khan on efforts being made to engage more pharmaceutical companies for procurement, HRCP had said that the government’s decision in this regard was not the right step.
It may be noted that amid reports of a delay in the procurement of vaccine, some journalists claimed that the government was in no hurry to order the coronavirus vaccine as most of the senior government members had already been vaccinated against the deadly disease.
