Ali Rehman Khan has tested positive for COVID-19, “despite being super careful and taking all precautions”.
The actor, in an Instagram post, shared the news and requested everyone to keep him in his prayers.
Earlier, Sana Mir also tested positive for the virus.
Filming for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s (SLB) passion project based on Lahore’s Heera Mandi is all set to commence from Spring 2021.
According to reports in the Indian media, the period drama titled Heera Mandi will revolve around the lives of sex workers, working in Lahore’s red-light district.
Vibhu Puri who is Bhansali’s former assistant will direct the project, which will feature Alia Bhatt in the lead. However, other names like Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit, Deepika Padukone, Parineeti Chopra, Manisha Koirala, and Vidya Balan are also under consideration.
“Bhansali is personally overlooking for the casting [for the project],” stated the report. “Though officially his former assistant Vibhu will be directing Heera Mandi, SLB’S stamp will be evident in every frame.”
Meanwhile the film is expected to debut digitally on Netflix. It is not yet clear whether Heera Mandi will be a web series or a film.
Besides Heera Mandi, Bhansali is working on another film Gangubai Kathiawadi which also tells the story of a prostitute.
Hamza Ali Abbasi has expressed his sorrow and grief over the horrific attack that took place on Sunday in Balochistan’s Bolan district and left 11 coal miners belonging to the Shia Hazara community dead. The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack.
“The horrifying tragedy inflicted by a few evil men on the Hazara community is so heartbreaking that all I can tell myself to feel some peace is that God is watching everything,” wrote Hamza on social media.
“May Allah bless the souls of the victims and give courage to the families,” added the actor.
People from Hazara community are currently protesting at the Western Bypass, Quetta, saying they won’t bury their dead till Prime Minister Imran Khan personally visits them and assures them of security.
Meanwhile, PM Imran Khan has requested the Hazara community to “please bury your loved one so their souls find peace”, adding that he “shares” their pain and will come to them soon.
Prime Minister Imran Khan has said asked Hazara victim families to bury their loved ones who were killed in a terrorist attack on Sunday by the Islamic State, aka Daesh.
His tweet came in response to the demand of the Hazara protesters who asked the PM to visit their protest camp and assure them of security. The protesters have said that they will not bury their dead unless the PM listens to them in person.
The PM, however, says that his government is taking “steps to prevent such brutal attacks” that are being instigated by the country’s “neighbour to instigate sectarian terrorism”.
“I want to reassure the Hazara families who lost their loved ones in a brutal terrorist attack in Machh that I am cognisant of their suffering & their demands. We are taking steps to prevent such attacks in the future & know our neighbour is instigating this sectarian terrorism,” he tweeted.
The PM also promised the Hazara community that he would visit them “very soon to offer prayers and condole with all the families personally”.
“I share your pain & have come to you before also to stand with you in your time of suffering. I will come again very soon to offer prayers and condole with all the families personally. I will never betray my people’s trust. Please bury your loved ones so their souls find peace,” he added.
At least 11 Hazara miners were shot dead by the Islamic State in Mach, Bolan, on Sunday. After the killings, the mourners have been staging a sit-in in Quetta for the past four days.
A video of an ostrich running across a road in Karachi is doing rounds on social media.
As per reports, the bird had escaped a private park and made its way to a road in the city’s Korangi No 4 area.
“Ostriches are afraid of water. This one escaped from a private park when water entered it” said the police. “The park’s employees ran after it and captured it later.”
Meanwhile, other reports have stated that the bird escaped from the Landhi Korangi Zoo.
Governor Punjab Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar has announced that an artificial forest near Head Baloki will be named after Baba Guru Nanak.
Talking to the media on Baba Guru Gobind Singh’s birth anniversary, Governor Sarwar said that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is involved in the killing of minorities and Kashmiris living in India. The governor asserted that the UN should declare India and Modi terrorists.
He said minorities in Pakistan have full religious freedom.
Minority MNA Shaneela Ruth and MPA Mahindra Pal Singh, who were also present on the occasion said: “We are proud that the government under the leadership of Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan is ensuring the provision of all basic facilities to the minorities and standing by the deserving families during the corona crisis.”
Sharing his thoughts on the ongoing PDM rallies, the governor said that PM Imran Khan will complete his constitutional term, commenting that are as many narratives in PDM as there are parties.
“I am sure that the general elections in Pakistan will be held on time. Since the formation of the opposition alliance PDM, none of its promise or claim has been fulfilled, so there is no doubt that the PDM is clueless about its strategy,” said Sarwar.
Meanwhile, Governor Sarwar also announced mass marriages of 15 deserving Sikh couples and promised 2% quota for employment of minorities in the Higher Education Department.
Aiman and Minal Khan have penned emotional notes to remember their late father.
Sharing a picture of herself and Aiman with their father on Instagram, Minal wrote: “Baba apni Hani aur Moon k sath. Ek din phr mileinge Baba aur sab keh deinge.”
Earlier, Aiman had also shared pictures of herself and her father from her wedding day, writing: “You’re my first love, I’ll miss you forever. Rest in peace my strong man.”
Aiman and Minal’s father, Mubeen Khan passed away on December 31 after prolonged illness.
New Zealand bowled out Pakistan by 186 runs in the second Test match at Christchurch on Wednesday, beating by an innings and 176 runs to sweep the series 2-0 and top the world rankings for the first time.
The home team presented their career best performances while the visitors show-cased their career worst performances. Meanwhile, Shan Masood led the board with his quacktrick.
Kyle Jamieson took three of the four dismisals after lunch as Pakistan went to tea on day four in Christchurch at 134 for seven, needing a further 228 runs to make New Zealand bat again.
The 2.3 metre (6ft 8in) Jamieson had figures of six for 38 to go with his five for 69 in the first innings to become the first bowler to take more than 10 wickets in a Test at Hagley Oval.
The Kiwi bowler with his 11 wickets was the nightmare for the opponent team as he became the first bowler to take more than 10 wickets in a Test at Hagley Oval, leading him to win the Player of the Match award.
Meanwhile, the Kiwi skipper Kane Williamson with Man of the Series performance led from the front taking his team to not only a series victory but also the number one ranked Test team in the world right now.
The 30-year-old scored 388 runs in the two Tests at a whopping average of 129 including a double ton in the same match.
There was resistance from Azhar Ali (37), Abid Ali (26) and later Faheem Ashraf (28) and Zafar Gohar (37), but the batsmen couldn’t stitch together partnerships big enough to demotivate New Zealand, and that proved to be their undoing.
Zafar Gohar, the debutant, resisted well thereafter, but Williamson got into the act with the ball at the other end, dismissing Shaheen Afridi (7). When Gohar then holed out off Boult, history was sealed.
Williamson is also crowned as the first centurion of 2021.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s performance was the worst. Worst bowling, fielding and performances by the players except for Muhammad Rizwan, who tried his best in both the matches with his three half-centuries.
Netizens criticised Masood for his performance in the Tests – the left-handed Pakistan opener scored a pair of ducks in the second Test against New Zealand, which when paired with his duck from the second innings of the previous Test gave him three straight failures.
Former Pakistan cricket captain Shahid Afridi also expressed his disappointment over the national squad’s hapless performance in the second Test at Christchurch, describing it as “very poor”.
His comments come in the wake of Pakistan’s crushing defeat at the hands of New Zealand in the second Test match at Christchurch by an innings and 176 runs.
The families of slain Hazara coal miners and thousands of protesters have refused to end their sit-in being held at the Western Bypass, Quetta, saying they won’t bury their dead till Prime Minister Imran Khan personally assures them of security.
At least 11 Hazara miners were shot dead by the Islamic State in Mach, Bolan, on Sunday. After the killings, the mourners have been staging a sit-in in Quetta for the past four days.
PM’s aide Zulfi Bukhari, federal minister Ali Zaidi also visited the protesters, but they said they will not end the protest unless PM Imran comes to their protest camp. A video of Zulfi and the protest organisers negotiating has also been making rounds on social media.
In the video, Zulfi is seen assuring the protesters that the PM will visit them soon. The Hazara community representative can be heard saying that the PM’s visit will be beneficial for the entire country. At this, Zulfi asks: “How is the premier going to benefit from this visit?”
At this, the organiser says: “We are saying the PM’s visit will at least solace the families of the slain miners.” Zulfi responds he promises that the PM will visit them. “We want the PM to visit Quetta and meet these families on this stage, in front of all these mourners,” the protester asserts.
At Zulfi refuses to concede to their demand for a meeting with the PM, saying that if God forbid tragedy strikes in some other part of Pakistan, the victims will also start making demands like these… if someone else gets martyred [in a terrorist attack] and their families will start saying that we want this, not that and so on.”
Meanwhile, Ali Zaidi also requested the protesters to take back their demand of a meeting with PM Imran.
Russia has expressed interest in getting their COVID-19 vaccine ‘Sputnik-V’ registered in Pakistan, claiming that it is the first-ever anti-corona vaccine. Sputnik-V was developed last year in August and will be available for public use in the coming few months.
As per reports, Russia wrote a letter to Pakistan asking for details of the process of vaccine registration as well as the demand in the country for the batch of dozes.
In the letter addressed to Special Assistant to Prime Minister Dr Faisal Sultan, the Russian Direct Investment Fund’s (RDIF) Head, Kirill Dmitriev has said that the Sputnik-V had an emergency use certificate and it was 91.4% effective.
The vaccine made by Russia would be available for the public in February 2021.
The letter has also claimed that the vaccine would be cheaper compared to other vaccines. Its single doze would cost less than $10 (Rs 1605) and it can be stored at -2 to 8 degree centigrade temperature.
Russia’s vaccine was registered in August 2020 and the country offered to sell it to Pakistan in November. Meanwhile, the country has initiated the limited use of their vaccine from last November.
Pakistan is currently experiencing the second wave of the virus. In the last 24 hours, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) reported 59 deaths and 1,903 new cases in Pakistan.
As per the data shared by the NCOC, the confirmed cases reported are 2,118 whereas 4,033 people recovered from the contagion during the last 24 hours.