Author: newsdesk

  • Coronavirus: Army takes over distribution of protective equipment to ensure transparency

    Coronavirus: Army takes over distribution of protective equipment to ensure transparency

    National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) chief Lieutenant General Muhammad Afzal has said that the army, amid doctors’ complaints regarding the nonavailability of personal protective equipment (PPE), has taken over the distribution of the same and the equipment is now being provided to hospitals with the help of respective corps headquarters.

    “As we had received complaints from some doctors that they were not getting PPE, I requested COAS [Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa] after which it was decided that PPEs will directly be sent to the corps headquarters concerned rather than sharing them with the provincial governments,” Lt Gen Afzal said while addressing a press conference.

    According to Dawn, he added that the information regarding the dispatching of PPEs was, however, duly shared with the provincial governments. “Now the army is distributing the protective gear in the hospitals, and since then we have not received any complain.”

    The NDMA chairperson said the authority had adequate stocks of protective equipment which could cater to the needs of doctors and patients for the next month.

    He said initially Pakistan was dependent on foreign-made equipment but now except ventilators, everything else was being manufactured by local companies. “As a result of the local production of equipment, the cost of normal mask has dropped from Rs50 to Rs10 and N-95 mask is now available for Rs300 against its previous price of Rs2,000.”

    Lt Gen Afzal said so far five tranches of equipment had been sent to provinces and a universal helpline 111-157-157 set up to receive complaints regarding unavailability of PPE and other material being used against the virus.

    He said a quarantine centre established at Haji Camp in the capital was not being utilised as people of the area had demanded that such a centre should be away from populated areas.

  • Afridi promises ending unemployment if he becomes PM

    Afridi promises ending unemployment if he becomes PM

    Former cricket team captain Shahid Khan Afridi has said that he would address the issues of unemployment and education if he became the prime minister of Pakistan.

    During an interaction with journalists, undated footage and pictures of which are doing rounds on social media, Afridi was asked about his plans if handed reins of the country for 10 days.

    The video being recorded during a ceremony held as part of Afridi’s nationwide campaign titled “Taleem Ho Gi Aam, Her Beti Key Naam”, suggests it is from later last year.

    Addressing the ceremony, Afridi said that women were giving birth to children on streets in Sindh, adding that it was 21st century Pakistan where humans and animals were being forced to drink water from the same place.

    Seeking support from the youth, the former captain went on to say that Pakistan was stuck in a swamp of problems and we have to unite and make it an ideal country.

    “More than 20 million children are missing out on education and the goal is to bring them to school,” Afridi said.

    “Our culture and religion are very beautiful,” he said and added that loving humanity was the need of the hour.

    The former cricketer also reportedly highlighted the plight of Muslims in occupied Kashmir.

  • Man files petition to ban PUBG

    Man files petition to ban PUBG

    A petition was filed on Monday in the Lahore High Court to ban video game PUBG (PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds) following which the court ordered the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to decide on the matter within six weeks.

    The petitioner’s lawyer Bilal Riaz Sheikh moved the court after finding some features of PUBG “problematic”.

    “The game has a negative impact on children. They are becoming more ruthless and violent,” he said.

    He asked the court to order the removal of PUBG from the Google Play Store. The court said it has forwarded petition over the game to the PTA several times, but the authority never responds.

    As per reports, the court, earlier, disposed of a similar petition that asked for a ban on the game. 

    PUBG is an online multiplayer In the game, up to one hundred players parachute onto an island and scavenge for weapons and equipment to kill others while avoiding getting killed themselves.

  • Seven soldiers martyred in Balochistan attacks

    Seven soldiers martyred in Balochistan attacks

    Seven soldiers have been martyred in two separate terror incidents in Balochistan, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Tuesday.

    According to the ISPR statement, terrorists targeted a vehicle of the Frontier Corps (FC) in Mach using improvised explosive devices (IEDs), claiming the lives of six Pakistan Army soldiers.

    The martyred soldiers were identified as Naib Subedar Ihsan Ullah Khan, Naik Zubair Khan, Naik Ijaz Ahmed, Naik Maula Bux, Naik Noor Muhammad and Abdul Jabbar.

    In a separate incident at Kech, another soldier, Sipahi Imdad Ali was martyred in an exchange of fire with militants.

    Just a day ago, another soldier was martyred and three others wounded when an explosive device ripped through a crowded bazaar near Mirali in North Waziristan tribal district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

    On May 9, at least six soldiers, including an Army major, were martyred after a roadside bomb struck a vehicle of the FC in Balochistan, close to the border with Iran. The attack was later claimed by the Balochistan Liberation Army, a Baloch separatist group.

    Balochistan, which shares its border with neighbouring Afghanistan and Iran, is the largest of the country’s four provinces with a population of roughly seven million.

  • This is not the first time ‘Diriliş: Ertuğrul’ is being aired in Pakistan

    A plot twist we didn’t see coming. Turns out this is not the first time Turkish drama series Diriliş: Ertuğrul is being aired in Pakistan.

    A Twitter user shared that the drama was dubbed and aired in Urdu five years back on Hum Sitaray.

    The Current reached out to a representative of Hum TV, who confirmed this and said that the first season of the drama was aired in 2015 in Pakistan. He stated that Hum TV bought the rights of the show and dubbed it in Urdu. However, the show failed to catch the attention of the audiences because of which it was dropped after the first season. He further said that while the show was very popular in Turkey, when it was released in December 2014, it was not until it was released on Netflix in April 2017 that it gained international acclaim.

    As for Pakistan, the show was thrust into the spotlight after Prime Minister Imran Khan recommended it and advised the youth to watch it.

    Read more – Yasir Hussain likens Turkish dramas to ‘landay k kapray’

    Set in 13th century Anatolia and based on the struggle of Ertuğrul Gazi, father of Osman I – the founder of the Ottoman dynasty, Diriliş: Ertuğrul has been trending ever since its first episode aired on PTV Home. Pakistanis are loving the drama series and it has become a sensation in the country. According to PTV, 133.38 million people have watched the drama series from April 25- May 14. PTV’s YouTube channel has also registered an exponential rise in its viewership with 3 million subscribers and episodes trending every day on the social media platform.

    In an exclusive interview with The Current, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Faisal Javed Khan revealed that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had gifted the drama series to Pakistan as a goodwill gesture.

  • Saba Qamar is winning the internet with her latest video

    Saba Qamar is winning the internet with her latest video

    Saba Qamar just dropped another video on her YouTube channel and people cannot get enough of her unfiltered sass. Titled The Chay Show featuring Saba Qamar, the episode shows Saba being interviewed by makeup artist Shoaib Khan, dressed up as Suhail Warraich.

    During the episode, Saba answers some of the most asked questions from female celebrities. She is witty and unfiltered with her responses which is why the episode has been much appreciated on social media.

    For example, when the host asks Saba if she has done a lot of romance in real life like on-screen, Saba replies, “Kaisi baat kar rahe hain. Islamic Republic of Pakistan main aurat romance nahi karti, bachay aasmano say girtay hain (Women don’t romance in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Children fall from the skies).”

    Later when he asks how many people Saba has dated, Saba said, “Aap hee bata dein. Aap behatar jaante honge.” When the host insists she answer, Saba launched a tirade saying: “Since a young age, girls are taught that it is better to die than to leave the first man in your life. This one sentence also ruined eight years of my life! He used to lie, misbehave, assault, and later apologise. Because commitment and marriage were the same for me, I kept going on for eight years thinking ‘it’ll get better’ but he didn’t get better, in fact, he ruined my mind!”

    She further said that he later went and got married to someone in his family.

    This answer, in particular, was lauded by Twitter users.

    Meanwhile, check out the entire episode here:

  • Two girls killed for ‘honour’ over leaked mobile video

    Two girls killed for ‘honour’ over leaked mobile video

    Two teenage girls were killed in the name of ‘honour’ allegedly by a family member in a village located on the border of Pakistan’s North and South Waziristan tribal districts after a short mobile video of them with a young man circulated on social media.

    The North Waziristan police on Sunday arrested two men for their alleged involvement in the murder.

    An FIR was filed at the Razmak police station in North Waziristan, where the murders were reported. According to the FIR, the incident took place on May 14 at the border village of Shaam Plain Garyom.

    “A confirmed report was received that two girls aged 16 and 18 were killed in the name of honour by their paternal cousin, whose name and address is not known, in Shaam Plain Garyom,” the FIR said.

    It said the reason behind the killings was believed to be a video that shows a young man recording himself with three young girls in a secluded area outdoors.

    A senior police officer in Waziristan told a news outlet that two of the three girls seen in the 52-second mobile clip have been killed. He said police were collecting information about the third girl and the man seen in the video.

    Meanwhile, another police official said that it appears the video in question was shot nearly a year ago and probably went viral on social media only a few weeks ago.

    “At the moment, our topmost priority is to secure the life of the third girl and the man before taking any action,” stated the official.

  • Mehwish Hayat’s crush has been updated after watching ‘Diriliş: Ertuğrul’

    Mehwish Hayat’s crush has been updated after watching ‘Diriliş: Ertuğrul’

    While the rest of the industry argues over the impact of airing Turkish dramas on the local industry, Mehwish Hayat has shared that her crush has been updated after watching Diriliş: Ertuğrul.

    In a social media post, Mehwish said that she doesn’t understand what the fuss is about before adding that she thinks Engin Altan Düzyatan is “pretty hot” and a bit like Leonardo DiCaprio.

    In case you’ve been completely oblivious to the whole situation and have no idea what Engin looks like, here’s a picture of him as Ertugrul:

    Another one of Engin. Awein.

    As for whether he looks like Leonardo, hmm.

    Meanwhile, scroll down at your own risk because these pictures are bound to update your crush too.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B_cXYfqgcVr/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/B4NBVLAAvTF/

    That smile tho!

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BcEoLKSAJkt/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/BdM8EndBNkb/

    Guess, we just drowned in those eyes.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BGmAS9IxFQU/
  • President Alvi, New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern set an example by following social distancing guidelines

    President Alvi, New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern set an example by following social distancing guidelines

    The story of New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her fiancé, Clarke Gayford being turned away from a popular café in Wellington, which was full due to coronavirus social distancing rules, has gone viral on social media. People cannot stop appreciating Ardern for being modest and down-to-earth.

    According to reports, Ardern and Gayford had gone to get brunch on Saturday at Olive, a popular restaurant in the capital, two days after the country eased many of its lockdown rules, but were turned down due to limited seating. Restaurants in the country are required to seat guests at least 1 meter (3 feet) apart from each other because of which many have limited their seating to comply with the rules.

    Though the PM and her partner walked away, they were chased down by the restaurant’s management when a spot freed up.

    Gayford even addressed the matter on social media and shared his side of the story.

    Meanwhile, a spokesperson from Ardern’s office, in an email, reportedly stated, that waiting at a cafe is something that anyone can experience during New Zealand’s virus restrictions.

    “The PM says she just waits like everyone else,” read the email.

    After Ardern’s story went viral on social media, President of Pakistan Dr. Arif Alvi’s son Awab Alvi came forward and recounted a similar story. Awab shared that a few days back, President Alvi had gone to buy Ras Malai from a local sweet shop, clad in a cap and mask. He said that President Alvi waited for half an hour in the line and followed all the necessary protocols.

    Awab further said that if anyone has any doubts, they can check the CCTV footage.

  • ‘Asma-Ul-Husna’: Coke Studio accused of plagiarising British singer’s video

    ‘Asma-Ul-Husna’: Coke Studio accused of plagiarising British singer’s video

    Atif Aslam’s collaboration with Coke Studio for a special went viral within hours of being released. Atif’s take on Asma-ul-Husna – the 99 names of Allah – received praise from all around and got millions of hits. The video, directed by Asim Raza and produced by Zulfiqar “Xulfi” Jabbar Khan was also appreciated and people lauded Coke Studio for releasing this in this moment of crisis.

    Read more – Atif Aslam recites the 99 names of Allah for a ‘Coke Studio’ special

    However, a blogger came forward and accused Coke Studio of plagiarising British singer Sami Yusuf’s video. Aamir Ali Shah, who levelled the accusations, also shared the two videos side by side and let the audiences make the call.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CAPa1JspCIt/

    For the unacquainted, Sami is a British singer, multi-instrumentalist, composer and record producer born in Tehran, Iran.

    Watch Coke Studio’s Asma-ul-Husna here:

    Read more – Two ‘Coke Studio 12’ songs taken down because of copyright issues

    Watch Sami Yusuf’s video:

    Meanwhile, earlier this month, Sami had also released his take on Asma-ul-Husna.