Author: newsdesk

  • United opp divides people: All you should know about Bilawal’s Iftar

    United opp divides people: All you should know about Bilawal’s Iftar

    As leaders of major opposition parties joined hands to attend an Iftar dinner hosted by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Sunday, their united stance against the government left social media divided.

    ATTENDANCE:

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz, PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) senior leader Liaquat Baloch, Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) Chairman Aftab Sherpao and Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) leaders Ali Wazir and Mohsin Dawar were all in attendance for the event organised at Zardari House in Islamabad.

    AGENDA:

    Bilawal is working to unite all opposition parties and his Iftar was an opportunity for them to reach consensus on launching an anti-government movement after Ramzan.

    The grand show of around ten political parties discussed strategies against the government. Sources had earlier informed The Current that the meeting was set to unite opposition leaders against the country’s economic crisis — falling rupee value and inflation.

    It was decided that solutions will be found to the issues the country is facing and all opposition parties will launch a protest inside and outside the parliament after Eid.

    They also agreed that the government has failed in running the affairs of the country and after Eid, an All Parties Conference (APC) would be held where a joint strategy would be formulated.

    The meeting also expressed concerns over “political victimisation” by the National Accountancy Bureau (NAB).

    PM IMRAN’S REACTION:

    Meanwhile, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan hit out at the opposition and said, “Today certain people have gathered for an event but we really know that it is because of them that Pakistan has not moved forward.”

    He said that the economy was being used “as a source of blackmail by corrupt political mafia”.

    DIVIDED SOCIAL MEDIA:

    Some social media users lauded Bilawal and Maryam as the new faces behind the two biggest opposition parties in the country, “taking forward the ideas of their parents” — former PMs Benazir Bhutto and Maryam Nawaz.

    https://twitter.com/always_opposed/status/1130139351558631424

    Meanwhile, some others stepped up to criticise the “unholy alliance”.

    https://twitter.com/FawadPTIUpdates/status/1130080776899452928

    https://twitter.com/Faisal_Kp01/status/1130382713062678528
  • Sunday Superstars ft. Rizq

    Sunday Superstars ft. Rizq

  • Who did Lena Headey refuse to appear with in ‘Game of Thrones’?

    Who did Lena Headey refuse to appear with in ‘Game of Thrones’?

    Game of Thrones star Lena Headey, better known as Cersei Lannister, reportedly refused to appear on-screen with co-star Jerome Flynn after a terrible real-life breakup.

    According to Page Six, Headey requested the show’s makers to ensure that she and Flynn wouldn’t have to be in the same room together.

    The report further revealed that Lena “appears to have a genuine hate towards him [Flynn].”

    However, the two kept their bitter feelings about each other under wraps on the sets for the past eight years and have never appeared in a scene together. But that did not stop things from getting awkward sometimes.

    The actress dated Flynn, who plays Bronn, before the show first aired in 2011.

  • Pakistani millionaire who lost everything, became labourer in UAE

    Pakistani millionaire who lost everything, became labourer in UAE

    An overseas Pakistani has gone from owning a million-dirham business in Sharjah to becoming a labourer at a junk yard after he lost over Dh500,000 in an alleged scam, Khaleej Times reported.

    As per the details, Asghar Hussain and his family’s lives
    were turned upside down in late 2008, when an Indian con artist forged his
    signatures on legal company papers and fled the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

    Asghar, his wife and four kids, aged 15 to 23, have had to
    live with the dire consequences that followed the incident. By 2013, Asghar was
    no longer able to keep his business going as he was unable to pay bank loans.

    His children were kicked out of school in 2014 for not
    paying the fees – they remain without an education till this day.

    Their residence, which used to be a large two-bedroom
    apartment, is now a small, unfurnished room. They sleep on the floor, hang
    their clothes on a dirty ladder, and have their belongings stored away in
    worn-out cardboard boxes.

    “My children haven’t been to school in almost five years,” the
    mother, Farah Gull, told Khaleej Times.
    “I have knocked on so many doors, asking charities if they can at least help us
    with school, but we were turned away.”

    The family still owes the school, the Pakistan Islamia
    Higher Secondary School in Sharjah, about Dh20,000.

    “My mother died when I was living here illegally, so I
    couldn’t even go to see her one last time. My wife’s parents died and she
    couldn’t go either. It really breaks our hearts,” Ashgar said.

    Going back home to Lahore was not an option for them as the
    parents sold their home and all of their belongings to pay for their failing
    business, rent and school fees.

    Asghar has managed to secure a temporary job at a junk yard,
    where he and his 23-year-old son work as labourers, earning less than Dh500 per
    month.

    “It’s not a life I imagined for myself and my kids, but we
    have to produce some kind of income for the home. I have a wife, three
    daughters and a son that I have to take care of. I refuse to beg on the
    streets, but I will do a job of a labourer if I have to earn cash for my
    family,” he said.

  • Fawad Chaudhry’s French Toast

    Fawad Chaudhry’s French Toast

  • The Current’s favourite political gimmicks

    The Current’s favourite political gimmicks

    Earlier this week, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi was spotted visiting different areas of Multan as a pillion rider on a motorbike, without any protocol and listening to the problems of his constituents.

    Hardly anyone is not familiar with the lines our political leaders can cross while trying to score attention or approval of the masses.

    Here are four of The Current’s favourite Pakistani political stunts.

    4. Shehbaz Sharif’s overenthusiastic address to party workers:

    Shehbaz and his signature “mic drops”. Here’s a private news channel’s report on it.

    3. Imran Khan burning a utility bill against inflation under PML-N rule:

    Fulfilling his promise to burn his electricity bill at the infamous 2014 sit-in, the PTI chief set fire to a piece of paper on night of his call to celebrate the “Day of Deliverance”.

    2. Sheikh Rasheed on the run across Rawalpindi:

    Despite orders for his arrest, Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed made it to a rally of his supporters in Rawalpindi’s Committee Chowk on a motorbike while beating the cops after him.

    1. Imran’s ‘civil disobedience campaign’ against PML-N government:

    The disobedience movement was a no-confidence public campaign against the government of PML-N. It was launched by the PTI chief in 2014 to protest against the alleged corruption of Sharif family members.

  • Pakistan not taking any wickets ‘to avoid PM Imran’s wrath’, explains Ramiz Raja

    Pakistan not taking any wickets ‘to avoid PM Imran’s wrath’, explains Ramiz Raja

    Explaining why Pakistani bowlers have been unable to defend 300 plus totals in the last couple of games, commentator and former cricketer Ramiz Raja has made some funny post-match remarks.

    Instead of coming down hard on the team for losing the ODI series to England ahead of ICC World Cup 2019, the former skipper chose to be sarcastic.

    Taking to Twitter to reveal bits of conversation between Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan and Pakistan team members, Ramiz shared how the former had called out some team members on “silly wicket-taking celebrations”.

    “Ever since being called out by PM Imran Khan on silly wicket-taking celebrations, this team it seems has decided to not take any wickets to not invite the wrath of the great man! Keeping trouble free, the Pak bowlers,” he tweeted jokingly and added a wink emoji at the end.

  • Celebrity Blunders

    Celebrity Blunders

  • Railways suffer losses worth over Rs28bn in PTI’s first eight months

    Railways suffer losses worth over Rs28bn in PTI’s first eight months

    In contradiction to Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed’s claims, Pakistan Railways (PR) has suffered a loss of Rs28.62 billion within the first eight months of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, it was revealed Friday.

    Just last month, Rasheed had claimed that PR has generated a profit of Rs43 billion ever since he was handed the reins of the department.

    However, according to a report submitted to the National Assembly Standing Committee on Railways, the department’s total expenditure stands at Rs72 billion, while six of the 10 new trains inaugurated by Rasheed are suffering losses.

    The trains running to further ruin the crippling department include Dhabeji Express, Shah Latif Express, Mohenjodaro Express, Rohi Passenger Train, Thal-Mianwali Express, Faisalabad Non-Stop Train and Rawalpindi Express.

  • Why Ranveer Singh is #HusbandGoals

    Why Ranveer Singh is #HusbandGoals

    Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone are one of Bollywood’s most-loved couple and with good reason. Not only do they both complement one another beautifully but the fact that Ranveer is always first to cheer on his wife is probably the single-most reason why they are so popular. The subcontinent is used to having the woman one step behind thanks to the internalised concept of patriarchy which is why these two are like a breath of fresh air.

    Internationally Deepika is the bigger star, but does that hurt Ranveer’s “ego and masculinity?” Doesn’t look like it and here’s proof.

    Deepika recently made two high-profile appearances, one on the Met Gala and the other on the Cannes Red Carpet and Ranveer’s comments on Deepika’s pictures were probably more fun than her looks. *sigh*

    Later, Deepika also indulged in some PDA with a tweet.

    https://twitter.com/deepikapadukone/status/1129455524305616899