Author: newsdesk

  • ‘I curse myself for committing sin of casting Mahira in my drama Sadqay Tumhare’: Khalil-ur-Rehman slams Mahira Khan

    ‘I curse myself for committing sin of casting Mahira in my drama Sadqay Tumhare’: Khalil-ur-Rehman slams Mahira Khan

    Khalil-Ur-Rehman Qamar curses himself for casting Mahira Khan as ‘Shano’ in his drama serial Sadqay Tumharay. The writer had previously said that he made a mistake while casting Adnan Malik as the male lead as well.

    In 2020, Adnan Malik who played Khalil ur Rehman Qamar in Hum TV’s Sadqay Tumharay opened up about playing him in the drama.

    The superhit drama was penned by Qamar and directed by renowned director Mohammad Ehteshamuddin. The plot was based on Qamar’s real-life story. While Adnan played Khalil, Mahira Khan played Shanno, Khalil’s love-interest.

    Set in the 1980s, Sadqay Tumhare follows the story of Shanno who is betrothed to her cousin Khalil the day she was born. While Shanno grows up in the village and is a simple girl, Khalil moves to the big city. He is treated as the ‘Prince of Punjab’ because of which he turns out to be an arrogant prick. The two know about their engagement since day one.

    Initially, Khalil is hesitant about meeting Shanno and avoids her but he then sees her in his dream and decides to meet her. The two fall in love at first sight, but fate intervenes and Shanno’s parents break off the engagement as they want her to marry her paternal cousin Fayaz. A family friend of theirs advises them to elope but the two decide against it. However, later they decide to run away and get married. But just as they are about to get married Shanno’s mother pretends that she is committing suicide causing Shanno to abandon her plans. A family drama ensues, dark secrets are revealed and Shanno and Khalil end up not getting married to each other.

    A Twitter user commented that by not marrying Khalil, Shanno dodged a bullet and the Cake actor agreed with her, in turn of recent events. Sadqay Tumharay was Malik’s debut project.

    In a successive tweet Malik talked about the power of the ‘Mera Jism Meri Marzi‘ slogan.

    Meanwhile the Raees diva also expressed her disbelief at Qamar’s comments. Seems like Qamar’s remarks are because of the female superstar’s difference of opinion on some of his antics.

  • Aurat March posters explain the A-Z behind the march

    Aurat March posters explain the A-Z behind the march

    With the Aurat March scheduled to take place this weekend, things are heating up and the controversy surrounding it keeps growing.

    A petition was also filed in the Lahore High Court (LHC) against the march with the petitioner calling the march “un-Islamic” with a ” hidden agenda to spread vulgarity.” However, the LHC dismissed the petition saying it couldn’t be banned under the law of the land.

    The slogan ‘Mera Jism, Meri Marzi’, in particular, stirred a storm with Khalil ur Rehman Qamar abusing journalist and human rights activist Marvi Sirmed on live television. While some say the slogan is “vulgar” and is used by women marchers in “an attempt to westernise the Pakistani society”, the marchers themselves say it pertains to “the right of choice and that to safety of women and even minor girls who are subjected to sexual assault in this very society”.

    Here are some interesting posters from the Aurat March’s official Instagram account which explain ‘Why Women March’.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B9TJaZhHTKQ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
    https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu3u0e_nAsl/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
    https://www.instagram.com/p/B8-_eS3nKnu/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
    https://www.instagram.com/p/BffqziQhiY8/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
    https://www.instagram.com/p/B8ttZazHkka/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
    https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu1c6ZWne0a/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
    https://www.instagram.com/p/B8x-4T-HQq_/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
    https://www.instagram.com/p/B9BpSIKnTrZ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
    https://www.instagram.com/p/B9B1wgxnK6d/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
    https://www.instagram.com/p/B8iip6UnZ4G/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
    https://www.instagram.com/p/B5dXyJbntfr/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
    https://www.instagram.com/p/BvrwkVdHVZX/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
    https://www.instagram.com/p/B9L4_wbn4Z0/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/B9Gf06kHQex/

  • From Daren Sammy to Dean Jones, here are all the PSL players who PM Imran Khan met

    With the fifth edition of the Pakistan Super League officially underway in Pakistan, there is little Pakistanis can talk about except cricket.

    Former cricketer and Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan has been hosting some players and his old adversaries in his office. From Daren Sammy to Dean Jones, here is everyone who met the prime minister:

    Vivian Richards said he was delighted to meet his friend again.

    Shane Watson referred to PM Khan as his “cricket hero.”

    Karachi Kings, Dean Jones said that it was great to catch up with Khan.

    Wasim Akram called Imran ‘My Skipper.’

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B9R1JCwpGWV/

    Daren Sammy said it was honour meeting the great cricket legend.

    Meanwhile, PM Khan congratulated Sammy on receiving honourary Pakistani citizenship and praised him for playing his role in helping to revive international cricket in the country.

    In his meeting with Peshawar Zalmi, Khan remarked that he was happy that the whole Pakistan Super League (PSL) was being staged in Pakistan.

    “People are happy too,” PM Imran is reported to have said. “It is encouraging to see the stadiums filled with enthusiastic spectators. This will send a positive message from Pakistan to the world.”

  • US firm helps Modi govt keep social media blocked in held Kashmir

    US firm helps Modi govt keep social media blocked in held Kashmir

    The Indian government imposed communication blackout in August last year and stripped India Occupied Kashmir (IOK) of its special autonomous status.

    The administration has reached out to a US-based software firm Cisco Systems in order to prevent fixed-line internet users from accessing social media websites, reported ThePrint.

    The step has been taken to remove the restriction on a fixed-line broadband connection, however, social media platforms will still not be accessible to local residents even when internet connectivity is restored.

    Back in January, users were allowed 2G mobile internet and broadband for 1,500 individuals, including those providing essential services such as hospitals with access to only 1600 website.

    The firewall is being analysed and tested, and if it will be capable enough to sustain the blockage, it will be purchased, a senior government official said.

  • US honours rights activist Jalila Haider with International Women of Courage Award

    US honours rights activist Jalila Haider with International Women of Courage Award

    Pakistani human rights activist and lawyer Jalila Haider is being honoured by the United States Department of State with the International Women of Courage Award for the year 2020. Jalila is among the 12 women from across the world who will be receiving the honour.

    According to a statement posted on their official website, the award recognises women around the globe who have “demonstrated exceptional courage and leadership in advocating for peace, justice, human rights, gender equality, and women’s empowerment at great personal risk.”

    The department stated that Haider was the “Iron Lady” of Balochistan, who had initiated a non-profit to support local communities by strengthening opportunities for vulnerable women and children.

    The statement further read: “She has fought against violence against women in public spaces. She specializes in defending women’s rights and provides free counseling and legal services to poverty-affected women. The first female attorney of her Hazara community, Haider led a peaceful hunger strike to recognise the right to life for the Hazaras.” 

    Other women on the list include Zarifa Ghafari (Afghanistan), Lucy Kocharyan (Armenia), Shahla Humbatova (Azerbaijan), Ximena Galarza (Bolivia), Claire Ouedraogo (Burkina Faso), Sayragul Sauytbay (China), Susanna Liew (Malaysia), and Amaya Coppens (Nicaragua).

    Haider is a rights lawyer giving free legal services to women in poverty. In October last year, Haider was named one of the 100 most influential women of 2019 by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

    Besides being a vocal activist for the rights of women, she is also the founder of We the Humans, a non-profit organisation working with local communities to provide opportunities for vulnerable women. 

  • Fare for still incomplete Peshawar bus project to start at Rs10

    Fare for still incomplete Peshawar bus project to start at Rs10

    Fare for the much-delayed Peshawar Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), an additional Rs4.28 billion is still needed for the completion of which, will be kept at a minimum Rs10 per trip, a private media outlet has quoted Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government officials as saying.

    According to reports, it was proposed by the KP government during a steering committee meeting chaired by KP additional chief secretary, wherein all participants agreed that the minimum fare from point A to point B should be kept as low as Rs10, while the maximum fare should be Rs50.

    While a majority has agreed to the recommendation as per which ticket pricing will vary with the distance and the number of stations travelled, some have suggested keeping a fixed ticket price.

    The final decision will be taken by KP Chief Minister (CM) Mahmood Khan.

    It merits a mention that Peshawar Development Authority (PDA) had in February written to the KP government a letter stating that the team leader of BRT had prepared PC1 for the revised fund. It added that Rs1.5bn of the additional funds will be spent on the route between bus station numbers 19 to 31, while Rs980m will be spent on the route between bus station 1 to 8.

    In addition, a total of Rs1.5bn will be spent on Trans Peshawar office, bus depot and parks. Similarly, Rs1.35bn would be required for consultant supervision.

    KP Information Minister Shaukat Yousafzai, while talking to media, had said that the cost of BRT has been increased by Rs4bn, with which the cost of BRT has touched Rs70bn. He had added that the provincial government will provide the additional funds for the project, the approval of which will be taken from the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC).

    Yousafzai had also said that the BRT project would be completed in April this year, the credit of which goes to CM Khan. “We will complete the project in March and it would cost Rs35bn,” he had said, adding that despite being a third-generation project, it would cost less as compared to Lahore’s BRT project which cost up to Rs 40 billion in 2011.

  • Celebrities, politicians destroy Khalil ur Rehman Qamar for misogyny, demand boycott

    Celebrities, politicians destroy Khalil ur Rehman Qamar for misogyny, demand boycott

    Khalil ur Rehman Qamar, who is rather infamous for his misogynist views both on and off the screen, has stirred a storm once again by abusing journalist and rights activist Marvi Sirmed on live television.

    According to details, Qamar on Tuesday appeared on a talk show to discuss the aftermath of a petition against the forthcoming Aurat March being trashed by the Lahore High Court (LHC). The petition calling the march “un-Islamic” with a ” hidden agenda to spread vulgarity” was wrapped up by the court that said it couldn’t be banned under the law of the land.

    Qamar appeared to have a problem with the slogan, ‘Mera jism, meri marzi‘ and was commenting on it when Marvi murmured the same. This irked Qamar who started abusing her.

    VIDEO: Khalil ur Rehman Qamar abuses journalist Marvi Sirmed on live TV

    While some say the slogan ‘mera jism, meri marzi’ is “vulgar” and is used by women marchers in “an attempt to westernise the Pakistani society”, the marchers themselves say it pertains to “the right of choice and that to safety of women and even minor girls who are subjected to sexual assault in this very society”.

    Qamar’s comments did not go down well with celebrities, politicians, journalists and other members of the civil society, who called for a boycott on the writer.

    https://twitter.com/KhoosatSarmad/status/1235112910591942656?s=20

    Others criticised the anchor, Ayesha Sohail, for not managing the situation better.

    Meanwhile, some people hoped that Geo, who had recently signed a contract with the writer for four plays and a movie, would reconsider their decision to work with him.

  • ‘IMF putting Pakistan on path of stability’ says Dr. Reza Baqir

    ‘IMF putting Pakistan on path of stability’ says Dr. Reza Baqir

    Dr Reza Baqir, the governor of State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has said that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is the government’s partner in reforming the country’s current economic system, Pakistan Today reported.

    In a briefing of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Tuesday, chaired by Rana Tanvir Hussain, the SBP governor said that the relationship of Pakistan and the IMF was based on common interests.

    However, he assured the house that “inflation will go down and the general public will feel the relief.”

    Baqir says that the SBP’s monetary policy committee had decided to keep the policy rate unchanged at 13.25 per cent. “The monetary policy committee stance is appropriate to bring inflation down to the medium-term target range of 5-7pc over the next six to eight quarters.”

    Right now, reducing the interest rate would affect the people who have kept their savings in the banks. However, he admitted that higher interest rate created difficulties for the borrowers.

    “The national savings rate is already very low and if the people are discouraged, then the country will have to borrow the required money from international agencies, and that will raise our current account deficit,” he further added.

    “The main focus of the SBP is to maintain foreign exchange reserves in the country.”

    Baqir also noted that if the foreign reserves would grow, Pakistan would not have to approach international agencies for borrowing.

    The SBP governor said due to higher interest rates in the past, manufacturing had almost ended, but after reforms carried out by the incumbent government, manufacturing activities were once again on the rise despite higher policy rates.

    “The present government did not take loans from the SBP due to which inflation is now being controlled. However, the state bank, at the same time, is making efforts to restore the confidence of foreign and local investors.”

  • Pressure chamber seized from Chinese ship could be for Pakistan’s nuclear weapons: Indian media

    Indian media reports have quoted Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) experts as saying that the industrial autoclave — a pressure chamber used to carry out industrial and scientific processes — seized from Chinese ship Dai Cui Yun, can be used for the manufacture of very long-range ballistic missiles or satellite launch rockets.

    According to Hindustan Times, the ship on February 3 was detained by Customs at Kandla Port in Kutch District of the Indian state of Gujarat while en-route to Port Qasim in Karachi “on the basis of an intelligence tip-off” and later allowed to proceed to Pakistan on February 20 after dual-use equipment was seized.

    The autoclave was declared as an industrial dryer.

    According to top government and intelligence officials, the DRDO’s technical experts and missile scientists informed the Kandla Customs, the Ministry of External Affairs and national security planners on Tuesday morning that the seized 18 metres by 4 metres autoclave could indeed be used in the manufacture of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) platforms.

    “The autoclave can be used for the manufacture of the motor of very long-range missiles, with range upwards of 1,500 kilometres or even in the construction of a motor for the launch of satellites. Pakistan has the Shaheen-II missile in the 1,500-2,000 kilometre range and the platform was tested last May,” the report quoted an official as saying on the condition of anonymity.

    Islamabad’s nuclear missile programme is not indigenous and is based on Chinese design with Beijing helping Islamabad since the 1980s. India claims it is for no other reason that China is blocking India’s entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) till Pakistan is also allowed to enter the nuclear club”.

    The report added that given the seizure of the autoclave, Indian “friends” such as France and the United States (US) “could now pressure Beijing to allow India into the NSG”.

  • Shoaib Akhtar says Fakhar Zaman ‘does not have a brain’

    Shoaib Akhtar says Fakhar Zaman ‘does not have a brain’

    Former Pakistan paceman Shoaib Akhtar has slammed Fakhar Zaman for being “reckless and not putting his hand up while performing for his side in the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL)”.

    Akhtar’s remarks came after Zaman, who is playing for Lahore Qalandars, struggled to hit any form in the competition. The left-hander had scored 76 runs in four games, with an average of 24.66 and a strike-rate of 125.42 in the first three matches with 74 runs.

    “The person who doesn’t have a brain is Fakhar Zaman. When you have one player [Chris Lynn] who is already playing fast, then Fakhar needs to understand that he can slow down a bit,” Akhtar said in a YouTube video as quoted by Cricket Pakistan.

    “Chris Lynn is not some Viv Richards. Lynn plays well where there is equal bounce like Australia. He is good aggressive player, but you need just one aggressive player like that.

    “Qalandars batting line-up is made up of similar kind of batsmen who just believes in senseless hitting. You can play aggressively and take chances in the powerplay, but in the next 14 overs you need to know how to anchor the innings, take quick singles and then finish well.”

    Shoaib Akhtar, who never minces his words, has been critical of Zaman earlier too. When Pakistan lost to India in the World Cup clash last year, he questioned his technique and the way Zaman reacted to pressure.

    Qalandars will tonight be playing two-time champions of the PSL, Islamabad United, for the second time in the ongoing tournament.