Author: newsdesk

  • Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri throws PPP leader out of NA session

    Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri throws PPP leader out of NA session

    In a bid to enforce order in the National Assembly amid a ruckus, Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri directed Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Agha Rafiullah to leave the house for “disrupting the session”.

    The house witnessed pandemonium after the opposition leaders started protesting the deputy speaker’s refusal to allow the opposition lawmakers to make speeches on point of order.

    Geo News reported PPP leader Agha Rafiullah Awan initiated cross-talk when the treasury benches started discussing the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) rallies.

    At this, he was told by Suri not to disrupt the house. However, instead of backing down, Rafiullah approached the desk of the deputy speaker and demanded his right to speak. Suri, who was chairing the session in the absence of Speaker Asad Qaiser, got irked by the attitude of Rafiullah and told him to leave the house.

    In a video, Agha Rafiullah can be seen arguing with the deputy speaker, while Suri can be heard asking the sergeant to escort the lawmaker out of the National Assembly.

    After the lawmaker was told to leave the premises, PPP leader Raja Pervaiz Ashraf issued an apology on Rafiullah’s behalf and asked the deputy speaker to review his decision.

    However, Suri refused to agree and told the PPP leader to advise his colleague to leave the house. “If Rafiullah leaves the house for a while and then apologise upon his return, he can be allowed to sit here,” a visibly irked Suri told Ashraf.

    However, the PPP leader had not left the house on the deputy speaker’s directives, prompting Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ali Mohammad Khan to read out a clause of the rules and regulation that stated a member could be suspended over non-compliance with the speaker’s directives.

    The minister said it was imperative upon the lawmaker to comply with the ruling of the speaker for the sake of the sanctity of parliament.

    Finally, the PPP lawmaker, joined by his colleagues, agreed to leave the house for a few minutes.

  • IN PICTURES: Rehmat Ajmal’s intimate engagement

    IN PICTURES: Rehmat Ajmal’s intimate engagement

    Aisha of Mere Pass Tum Ho Rehmat Ajmal got engaged and pictures of the event are all over social media.

    Read more – Rehmat Ajmal says she is not proud to be a part of Meray Paas Tum Ho

    The engagement ceremony, which reportedly took place in Lahore, was attended by close friends and family members.

    Check them out below:

    View this post on Instagram

    Meri Behen Ki Mangni ❤️

    A post shared by Sophiya Salim Khan (@keepingupwithkhan) on

    Ajmal made her way into modelling after being approached by a teacher during her second year at the National College of Arts (NCA). From there, she began getting featured in ad campaigns for different brands before bagging a role in Meray Paas Tum Ho.

  • Three recent female performances in Pakistani dramas that left us shocked

    Three recent female performances in Pakistani dramas that left us shocked

    Pakistani dramas and their storylines are controversial and at times, phenomenal. Many recent dramas and characters have become so popular that they are the talk of every living room, Facebook and WhatsApp groups, with some viewers saying hai and some saying sahi kia!

    Through the years we’ve seen many female villains such as Naveen Waqar’s character in Humsafar as Sara, Ushna Shah as Nigaar in Balaa, Iqra Aziz as Nirma in Jhooti as Nirma and recently Sabeena Farooq as Zoya in Kashf. These characters have made their mark, but today we will be discussing three vamps who have left people speechless and fuming with anger.

    1. Faiza Hassan – Gohar (Nand)

    ARY’s Nand is all about the one, and the only sister-in-law Gohar, played by Faiza Hassan. Faiza has made a comeback after a long time and to see her play a negative character with such finesse is nothing short of a treat. She is not only convincing as Gohar but has actually made the viewer’s resent her character, which is a win as an actor.

    Gohar is a nightmare for anyone and everyone around her. First, she makes her brother Saqib (Shahroz Sabzwari) divorce his wife Rabi (Minal Khan) and later starts creating misunderstandings between her younger brother Hassan (Ayaz Samoo) and his wife Farwa (Maha Hasan). She also leaves her husband Jahangir (Aijaz Aslam) because of his financial status. Ultimately she goes back to him when he becomes rich and starts creating problems for Rabi who is now her husband’s second wife (OUCH)!

    It is only because of Faiza’s grip on the character that she has succeeded in showing the ugly side of a narcissistic woman who doesn’t mind ruining people’s lives because of her sadistic persona. She is envious and is probably a victim of her own weaknesses because she fails to see the good in people around her. She is so cruel and heartless to the extent that she manipulates her own son to use him against her husband.

    Read more – ‘Nand’: No shades of grey

    2. Sarah Khan – Miraal (Sabaat)

    Miraal, played by Sarah Khan, is a young arrogant woman belonging to a controlling and egotistical elite family. Her father Seth Fareed (Moazzam Ali Khan) is a wealthy businessman who supports her despite her selfish actions. Miraal’s mother (Laila Zuberi) and grandmother try to make her understand that she is on the wrong track but their advice falls on deaf ears. Miraal dotes on her younger brother Hassan Fareed (Ameer Gillani), who is somehow influenced by her. One fine day, he falls for and marries Anaya Aziz (Mawra Hocane), an ambitious, strong-headed, women’s rights activist studying at the same university as him – but doesn’t have the same financial background.

    When Miraal and Hassan’s grandmother dies, Miraal begins to feel disturbed and consults a psychiatrist Dr Haris (Usman Mukhtar). Her fiancé Ali runs away on their wedding day and dumps her leaving her shocked. On the other hand, her brother Hassan and Anaya get married against the wishes of his father and Miraal – Anaya was too poor to be part of the family.

    Meanwhile, Seth Fareed makes every effort to make Miraal feel comfortable and happy. Miraal hates Anaya, humiliates her several times and does whatever she could to kick her out of Hassan’s life. She also leaves her husband Dr Haris, who tried to help her before and after marriage. Destroying the lives of all four of them, she is blind to the fact that she is wreaking havoc on her own self as well.

    SPOILER ALERT: In the last episode she has an accident and her spinal cord is affected due to which she couldn’t walk. She then seeks forgiveness from those who she hurt and tries to redeem herself.

    Sarah has outdone herself with this character and did complete justice to a challenging role, villainous role, and with such class and elegance that she left all the other actors far behind. She turned out to be everyone’s favourite villian (and actor) in the drama.

    Read more – ‘Sabaat’ manages to tie up loose ends in a rushed finale

    3. Minal Khan – Nisha (Jalan)

    Nisha (Minal Khan) and Misha (Areeba Habib) are two sisters who belong to an upper-middle-class household. Nisha is a selfish girl who habitually wants everything that Misha has and Misha, who dotes on her sister, does anything that will make Nisha happy. Nisha gets engaged to her cousin Ahmer (Fahad Sheikh) who loves her intensely but after her engagement, Misha gets married to the super rich and handsome Asfandyar (Emmad Irfani).

    Nisha, seeing her sister’s expensive gifts and big house breaks her own engagement with Ahmer, accusing him of physically abusing her and plays the victim in front of Asfandyar to gain his sympathy.

    Meanwhile, Misha finds out she is pregnant but totally oblivious to her sister’s evil plans, invites her into her home to stay for a while. Nisha continues to estrange her sister from Asfand, luring him into liking her and finally succeeding. Asfandyar divorces Misha, who goes into premature labour and delivers a baby boy. Nisha, on the other hand, runs away from home and pushes Asfi to marry her asap. When Misha finds out that her sister is marrying her ex-husband, she lights herself on fire and dies. Nisha does not regret any of her actions and tries to secure her husband’s wealth.

    There is no way that you don’t hate Nisha but a part of you will admire her as well – the girl definitely gets what she wants and she doesn’t let anything stand in her way – not her fiancé, parents, or sister. She is so insensitive and heartless but utterly determined. Minal has done complete justice to the role, with every dialogue and expression. Can’t wait to see how this one ends.

  • Another Peshawar BRT bus malfunctions

    Another Peshawar BRT bus malfunctions

    Days after the Peshawar Bus Rapid Transport resumed services after a month-long hiatus, another one of its buses broke down near Firdous Station, Peshawar, on Wednesday.

    Dunya News reported that a crane was called by the authorities to remove the bus from the track after it malfunctioned midway.

    This is not the first a BRT bus broke down. Last month, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had to order an investigation after multiple BRT buses caught fire. The TransPeshawar, the government-owned company set up to manage bus operations, temporarily suspended the service in the wake of these fires.

    A subsequent report had revealed the fire incidents in the buses were caused by the malfunctioning of a motor controller installed between hybrid batteries and electric motors.

    However, after a thorough investigation, the bus service was resumed on Oct 24, after 38 days. A statement issued by the TransPeshawar at the time said that the service was launched on Saturday morning and would continue from 6am to 10pm.

    It said it had also launched express bus service, which would begin from Chamkani and make stops at Sardar Ghari, Lahori Adda, Hashtnagri, Malik Saad, Khyber Bazaar, Dabgari Garden, Saddar Bazaar, Peshawar University, Mall of Hayatabad and Karkhano Market.

    The BRT bus service was launched on Aug 13 by Prime Minister Imran Khan amid much fanfare. However, it was suspended on Sept 16 in the wake of four fire incidents in buses.

  • VIDEO: Leopard spotted near Margalla Hills in Islamabad

    VIDEO: Leopard spotted near Margalla Hills in Islamabad

    Tourists spotted a leopard roaming around Margalla Hills road late Tuesday night while they were enroute to Daman-e-Koh.

    A video recorded by one of the travellers shows the leopard walking on the side of road, hide in the bushes then come back to the road. 

    As per reports, the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board said that the leopard belongs to Margalla Hills National Park. 

    Read more – Fact Check: Did a leopard really attack a pet dog in Islamabad?

    Authorities said the wild cats often make their way to the roads late at night and warned people travelling to Daman-e-Koh and Pir Sohawa to be careful. Leopards often make their way out on roads late at night.

  • VIDEO: Egg on French president’s face over Islam remarks?

    French President Emmanuel Macron has come under criticism over his remarks on Islam after a teacher was beheaded on the streets of Paris allegedly for showing blasphemous cartoons to students.

    Amid this, a video of Macron having an egg thrown at his face as he is in conversation with some people is circulating on social media.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    The claim along with the video says Macron was attacked for his remarks on Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and Islam, which have led to calls for a boycott of French products across the Muslim world.

    The Current has found the claim along with the video to be misleading. The video was shot in March 2017 in Paris days before the presidential elections in France, when Macron was a candidate for the top post.

    Using related keywords, we found some media reports carrying a similar video of the event, shot from a different angle.

    A report by Express says Macron was attacked by a protester with an egg when he was attending an agriculture show in Paris in March 2017.

    This was not the first time when Macron was egged. In 2016 too, an angry mob pelted eggs on Macron in Paris.

    So, it has been established that the video is more than three years old and has nothing to with Macron’s recent remarks on Islam.

    ‘WON’T GIVE INTO ISLAMIC RADICALS’:

    On Sunday, Macron tweeted, “We will not give in, ever to Islamic radicals.”

    “We do not accept hate speech and defend reasonable debate,” the French leader added.

    Calls to boycott French goods are already growing in the Arab world and beyond after Macron criticised Islamists and vowed not to “give up cartoons” depicting the Holy Prophet (PBUH).

    Macron’s initial comments, on Wednesday, had come in response to the beheading of a teacher, Samuel Paty, outside his school in a suburb outside Paris earlier this month, after he had shown the blasphemous cartoons during a class he was leading on free speech.

    With the French president pledging to fight “Islamist separatism”, which he said was threatening to take control in some Muslim communities around France, hashtags such as the #BoycottFrenchProducts in English and the Arabic #ExceptGodsMessenger trended across countries, including Pakistan, Kuwait, Qatar, Palestine, Egypt, Algeria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

  • South Africa plan first cricket tour of Pakistan in 12 years

    South Africa plan first cricket tour of Pakistan in 12 years

    Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced on Tuesday it will send a security assessment delegation to Pakistan this weekend with a view to playing in the country in early 2021.

    If the tour goes ahead it will be South Africa’s first visit to Pakistan since 2007/08.

    Two subsequent “away” tours were staged in the United Arab Emirates because of security concerns following a 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore.

    No details of the planned fixtures were revealed but according to the International Cricket Council’s future tours programme, South Africa are due to play in two world Test championship matches as well as three Twenty20 internationals in January and February.

    Tuesday’s announcement confirmed South Africa will host Sri Lanka in two world Test championship matches over the local summer holiday period.

    The first Test will be in Centurion from December 26 to 30 and the second Test will be in Johannesburg from January 3 to 7.

    After the CSA’s entire board resigned on Monday, acting chief executive Kugandrie Govender said the matches against Sri Lanka, like those for the upcoming white-ball series against England, would be played without spectators because of Covid-19 restrictions.

    On their previous visit to South Africa in 2018-19, Sri Lanka gained an upset 2-0 series win — the first by an Asian team in a Test series in South Africa.

    CSA also announced Australia would visit South Africa for three world Test championship matches in March and April 2021, to be followed by Pakistan, who will play three one-day internationals and three T20 internationals. Dates for these tours will be announced later.

    It was previously announced South Africa will host England in three T20 and three one-day internationals in Cape Town and Paarl between November 27 and December 9.

    The South African men’s team has not been in action since a one-day tour of India was called off because of the coronavirus pandemic in March.

  • VIDEO: Reporter robbed of phone on live TV

    VIDEO: Reporter robbed of phone on live TV

    A news reporter in Argentina was robbed of his phone while he was preparing to go live on television.

    The entire incident was caught live on camera and the video of the incident is now doing the rounds on social media.

    The video shows Diego Demarco, a reporter at an Argentine news outlet, about to go live when a man snatches his phone and runs off. The incident happened when Demarco was fixing his face mask and preparing for his live telecast.

    Locals, including children, can be seen running behind the man in the video.

    According to reports, the people who ran behind the robber caught him and returned the phone to the reporter.

  • Pakistan to introduce 5G by end of 2021

    Pakistan to introduce 5G by end of 2021

    In an attempt to catch on with the rest of the world in terms of the latest technology, Pakistan Information Technology Minister Aminul Haq has announced that the government will introduce 5G wireless technology by December 2021.

    In a statement, the IT minister said that the government was taking effective measures to introduce the latest service in Pakistan and it would ensure that this is done by the end of next year.

    The trial run of 5G would start from a hospital in Islamabad and Zong, a Chinese telecom company, would help the government in this regard, he said. However, before this step, the government will have to connect Islamabad, Karachi, and Gwadar via fibre optics network, he added.

    Furthermore, the IT ministry has established a policy committee on bidding for the 5G service. The committee has the representation of the members of all the stakeholders — telecom companies and the Frequency Allocation Board.

    The committee is currently looking for an international consultant to auction the 5G licences, which would be followed by the biddingprocess, its starting price, and other conditions.

    In August 2019, Pakistan successfully tested 5G network in the country. “Zong has become the first operator in Pakistan to successfully conduct a 5G trial and this is yet another milestone for the company,” Wang Hua, chairman and CEO of Zong, had said following the trials.

    Khaleej Times had reported that the 5G service in Pakistan will be 100 times faster than the current levels, while the network will be 10 times faster than existing broadband connections available in the country. “5G home routers speed has been recorded at 4 gigabytes per second, which means that it can download a 50gb file in just two minutes,” the report had added.

    But the road to 5G isn’t easy and Pakistan still has to go a long way to achieve this milestone. For example, the United States only has 5G coverage in 25 cities, whereas in China, only 50 cities have 5G coverage. “On top of it, the kind of 5G available for now is some kind of speed boost over 4G instead of the full-fledged 5G services,” said a report by Profit magazine.

  • EXCLUSIVE: All the pictures from Kashmala Tariq’s intimate dholki

    EXCLUSIVE: All the pictures from Kashmala Tariq’s intimate dholki

    Federal Ombudsperson for Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplace Kashmala Tariq is all set to tie the knot on October 31 with Islamabad-based businessman Waqas Khan.

    According to details, the wedding reception will be held in Islamabad on October 31. Festivities will also include a Mehfil-e-Milad on October 29 and qawwali on October 30.

    Friends of the bride also arranged a dholki for her and her spouse-to-be in Lahore. Pictures and videos from the event went viral on social media. Kashmala glowed in a peach-orange bespoke outfit by BNS Couture as she celebrated her upcoming nuptials. Her makeup was done by Arooj and Nida.

    While the former MNA has not made an official announcement, she sent some exclusive videos from the festivities to The Current. Check them out below:

    Kashmala shared that the hashtag #Wakash was coined by her cousins and her friend’s children. She said that they also decorated the COVID-19 safety kits which included masks and sanitisers.