Author: newsdesk

  • Kashif Abbasi’s program banned because of Faisal Vawda’s boot

    Kashif Abbasi’s program banned because of Faisal Vawda’s boot

    ARY News’ prime time anchor Kashif Abbasi has been banned from hosting his program and appearing on any other channel for 60 days by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA).

    The PEMRA notice was sent to the anchor, the channel and posted on Twitter, saying that the program in which PTI’s Faisal Vawda brought a military boot and put it on the table to ridicule the PML-N and PPP, was an “attempt to debase a state institution”.

    PEMRA ORDER PAGE ONE

    PEMRA said that Vawda’s actions were “derogatory” and “extremely frivolous” and he “performed a very unethical act” when starting his argument on the program.

    PEMRA added that Kashif was “quite unprofessional who actually did not intervene or stopped that unethical act,” and claimed that Kashif, “kept smiling/cherishing such occurence.”

    PEMRA ORDER PAGE TWO

    READ MORE: ‘#PTIDisrespectsArmy‘: Military unhappy with Vawda over shoe stunt?

    The ban comes after an uproar on social media and television after Faisal Vawda brought the boot to the program. The Current did a poll on it’s Instagram account and this is what more than 430 people voted on:

    The Current Poll

    Haven’t seen the video yet?

    WATCH THE VIDEO HERE: Faisal Vawda puts military boot on the table in a talk show

    Haven’t seen The Current Life’s interview with Kashif Abbasi, which was done five minutes before he went live (And in which Faisal Vawda was also a guest)? Watch it here:

  • Sana Javed, Imran Abbas’ ‘Darr Khuda Se’ sheds light on workplace harassment

    Sana Javed, Imran Abbas’ ‘Darr Khuda Se’ sheds light on workplace harassment

    Drama serials based on social issues are trending these days – think Cheekh, Rusawai. Based on the same lines is Sana Javed’s other drama Darr Khuda Se which sheds light on workplace harassment and the ordeal women go through in such situations.

    Produced by Abdullah Qadwani and Asad Qureshi, Darr Khuda Se stars Sana as Afreen and Imran Abbas as Shahwaiz. Afreen comes from a typical middle-class family with a financial crisis while Shahwaiz is her rich, misogynist boss.

    The plot of the drama progresses to show how workplace harassment happens, and how it doesn’t always involve physical touching.

    Here are four times the drama highlighted workplace harassment:

    1. When Shahwaiz unnecessarily touches Afreen without her consent

    Throughout the drama, there are plenty of scenes where Shahwaiz tries to touch Afreen without reason. For example, in one episode he tries to hold Afreen’s hand while in another one, he praises her by touching her face. Shahwaiz’s advances make Afreen extremely uncomfortable around him but she is unable to do anything because he’s her boss.

    2. Blackmailing, power dynamics, and revenge

    Shahwaiz blackmails Afreen’s colleague Aasiya for supporting her. He threatens to transfer her from the office despite Aasiya’s requests to stop the transfer. This agitates him, and he asks her to sit by his foot and plead to him. The scene perfectly encapsulates how power can be used to blackmail people into doing what is morally wrong.

    3. Unnecessary increments with ulterior motives

    Shahwaiz invites Afreen for lunch in a restaurant where he announces a 25% increment in salary. When Afreen questions this, he tells her that she should thanks him instead of asking him questions. He also asks Afreen to address him by his first name, which is inappropriate in a professional workplace.

    4. Watching through the CCTV cameras and taking pictures

    Shahwaiz watching Afreen through CCTV camera is just creepy. Apart from being morally incorrect, it is also a breach of privacy for a woman as she is being watched without her knowledge.

    While Darr Khuda Se tends to drag at points and can become mundane, it has brilliantly portrayed workplace harassment, giving viewers food for thought.

  • Here’s what ‘Meray Paas Tum Ho’s Roomi wants to do when he grows up

    Here’s what ‘Meray Paas Tum Ho’s Roomi wants to do when he grows up

    Child actor Shees Sajjad Gul who plays the role of Roomi in the superhit drama Meray Paas Tum Ho recently revealed that he wants to be a scientist when he grows up. Shees added that he’s not sure whether he wants to pursue acting as a career as not.

    Son of director and producer, Sajjad Gul, Shees debuted in MPTH and also features in ads. He even has his own YouTube channel with more than 72,000 subscribers.

    Meanwhile, Shees further shared that Ayeza Khan and Humayun Saeed who essay the role of his onscreen parents took great care of him on the sets.

  • All women crew conducts first spacewalk of 2020

    All women crew conducts first spacewalk of 2020

    The second spacewalk in history was conducted by a team of all-women astronauts at the International Space Station on Wednesday morning.

    NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Christina Koch replaced batteries on solar arrays on the outside of the International Space Station during the first spacewalk of 2020.

    The same astronauts made history after completing the very first all-female spacewalk in October. That came months after a planned spacewalk with an all-women crew had to be cancelled in March because of lack of suitable spacesuits.

    These will be the second and third spacewalks for Meir
    and the fifth and sixth for Koch. NASA said Wednesday’s spacewalk is the 225th
    conducted at the International Space Station.

  • Hina Altaf, Agha Ali sued by a producer for fraud

    Hina Altaf, Agha Ali sued by a producer for fraud

    Hina Altaf and Agha Ali have been sued by TV producer Nousheen Agha for cheating her and running away with her money. On her petition, a local court ordered an FIR to be registered against the production team for alleged fraud and theft of valuables.

    The case will be registered against Hina, Agha, director production Sohail Iftikhar Khan, and production manager Gul Zaib Nawaz under sections of Pakistan Penal Code related to fraud for violating the contractual obligations and abandoning the television serial halfway.

    According to reports, Nosheen had paid Rs1.45 million to the actress, actor and production team for producing a television serial for Pakistan Television.

    In her written complaint, Agha alleged that under the contract she signed with the television actors and production team they were supposed to work for the television drama from November 3 to 23 as she had booked rooms for them in guest houses of sector F-6 and F-7 in Islamabad.

    However, on November 16, Hina and Ali, who were cast as the lead in the project titled Dil-e-Sarkash, abandoned the set without any prior notice and also took away Rs12 million which the complainant had paid as their remuneration for their work. The next day on November 17, Sohail Iftikhar and Gul Zaib Nawaz also ran away along with drama script, contract agreement, video shoots and other valuable items.

    Nousheen claimed that because of this she had suffered an enormous financial loss and mental stress.

    Meanwhile, both Hina and Agha have refuted these allegations, with Hina claiming that she has screenshots to prove her innocence.

    “No one has left the shooting spell. There were at least more than 40 people on the set including the actors, DOPS, technical staff and other crew members who were not paid on time. Everyone gave her a favor and we all kept working till the situation got worsened,” Agha claimed.

    Hina said: “Nothing of this sort has happened – and I have screenshots of my conversation with her which I can reveal to media when is needed.”

  • IN PICTURES: Ayeza Khan celebrates 29th birthday

    IN PICTURES: Ayeza Khan celebrates 29th birthday

    Ayeza Khan is without a doubt the star of the moment. Her drama serial Meray Paas Tum Ho is doing phenomenally well breaking all records bringing her into the spotlight like never before.

    The actor celebrated her 29th birthday with a midnight celebration with her family, including husband Danish Taimoor.

    How adorable!

    Velvet pjs, roses and Ayeza make for a picture perfect moment.

    Earlier, Ayeza had also celebrated her birthday on the last day of her shoot of Thora Sa Haq.

  • Shireen Mazari applauds Mehwish Hayat for exposing ‘rabid Pakistan-hater’

    Shireen Mazari applauds Mehwish Hayat for exposing ‘rabid Pakistan-hater’

    Pakistan-born Canadian writer Tarek Fatah was recently trolled by Mehwish Hayat and other Twitter users after he posted a scene from Mehwish’s and Fahad Mustafa’s Load Wedding in an attempt to discredit Pakistan.

    The video shows a mother slamming the door on two polio workers while screaming, “I will never ever allow my children to take these drops. Never never will my kids drink these drops. Never.”

    https://twitter.com/TarekFatah/status/1217209562433871872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1217239982768885761&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.samaa.tv%2Fnews%2F2020%2F01%2Ffact-check-tarek-fatahs-polio-refusal-video-from-mehwish-hayats-load-wedding%2F

    Soon after the video was shared, Mehwish responded to Tarek and let him know that the video he shared was from her film and the scene aimed to raise awareness about polio. She called him out for spreading fake news and snubbed him by asking him “to verify the source before posting [any misleading videos] next time.

    People also started trolling the writer for posting the video. Minister for Human Right Shireen Mazari also applauded Mehwish for exposing a “rabid Pakistan-hater!”

    Meanwhile, in 2016, an actual video went viral of a woman fighting polio workers who had come to her house to vaccinate her children. All the dialogues of the Load Wedding scene were taken from the actual footage with minor amendments.

  • ‘#PTIDisrespectsArmy’: Military unhappy with Vawda over shoe stunt?

    ‘#PTIDisrespectsArmy’: Military unhappy with Vawda over shoe stunt?

    Opposition parties, military personnel as well as the general public appear to be unhappy with Federal Minister for Water Resources Faisal Vawda, who on Tuesday night used a boot on-air to heap scorn on the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) for voting in favour of the recently passed Army Act.

    The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader had a day earlier appeared on a talk show alongside PML-N leader Javed Abbasi and PPP’s Qamar Zaman Kaira. Mid-programme, while discussing PML-N supremo and former premier Nawaz Sharif, Vawda pulled out a boot and plonked it on the desk in front of the guests to troll their respective parties.

    The little stunt was followed by both Abbasi and Kaira walking out in protest.

    With Vawda making headlines for his gimmick, criticism by netizens, including leaders of opposition parties, military personnel and general public, started pouring in. Here’s what they had to say:

    Meanwhile, a “soldier” wrote:

    PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb has also said that Vawda’s stunt “did not dignify a response”, while her colleague Rana Sanaullah has said that the entire nation was witnessing activities of “jokers”.

    “The government wants to make a joke of the army as an institution,” he has said.

  • Saba Qamar has signed her next film

    Saba Qamar has signed her next film

    Looks like Saba Qamar will be returning to the big screen with a double bang in 2020 because after wrapping up the shoot of Sarmad Khoosat’s Kamli, the actor has signed her next film.

    While details on the project are still under wraps and there is little information available, Galaxy Lollywood has reported that Saba has indeed signed a new film which is “a complete mass entertainer with lots of commercial elements in it”. Saba also shared a sneak peak on her social media.

    The film is being produced by Jamil Baig and Hassan Zia under the banners of JB Films & Mastermind Films. Mohsin Ali has penned the script while Saqib Khan will be directing it.

    The actor is extremely excited about her new project which will be in stark contrast to her other 2020 release Kamli.

    It was previously reported that Bilal Ashraf was being roped in for the male lead but there has been no confirmation as yet. No other male lead has been announced.

    A release date has also not yet been announced.

  • Rs185m set as minimum price for Dar’s Lahore house to be auctioned Jan 28

    Rs185m set as minimum price for Dar’s Lahore house to be auctioned Jan 28

    The government has initiated the process to auction the Lahore residence of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and former finance minister Ishaq Dar, which was confiscated by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in an assets beyond means case earlier.

    According to The Express Tribune, the government on Tuesday advertised the auctioning of the house on January 28, which would allow the highest bidder to take its possession. The district government has set a minimum price of Rs185 million.

    Located in the H-Block of Lahore’s posh Gulberg neighbourhood and spreading over four kanals, the house comprises 12 rooms. It was sealed by the district government on NAB orders three months ago. Dar’s wife had challenged the order, but in November 2019, an accountability court had dismissed her petition.

    Tabassum Ishaq Dar had contended that the house was owned by her as it was given to her by Dar on February 14, 1989. The court had ruled that Tabassum had failed to prove that the property was gifted to her, and upheld NAB’s decision to confiscate the property.

    Dar, who is currently in London, has been absconding court proceedings since 2017 following the registration of the corruption reference against him. NAB has also confiscated his various bank accounts worth Rs500 million.