Author: newsdesk

  • Saboor Aly & Saheefa Jabbar Khattak’s “inside joke” explained

    Saboor Aly & Saheefa Jabbar Khattak’s “inside joke” explained

  • Sheikh Rasheed’s Chanay ka Salan

    Sheikh Rasheed’s Chanay ka Salan

  • Spinach and Feta Omelette

    Spinach and Feta Omelette

  • How to drink eight glasses of water in Ramazan

    How to drink eight glasses of water in Ramazan

  • IK’s Upscaled Fruit and Yogurt

    IK’s Upscaled Fruit and Yogurt

  • ‘Ask me about samosa, pakora prices, not IMF’

    ‘Ask me about samosa, pakora prices, not IMF’

    Former finance minister Asad Umar has reportedly refused to comment on the financial bailout package by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), saying he doesn’t have anything to do with it anymore.

    “Ask me about samosa and pakora prices instead,” he said when questioned about the IMF programme during a recent media interaction.

    The former minister said he was no longer a part of the government and was only a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) member. “So whatever is happening, ask about it from advisers and ministers concerned,” he added.

    “What does it have to do with me now?”

    Pakistan and the IMF on Sunday reached an agreement under which the global lender would provide $6 billion to Islamabad over a period of three years. The loan is to help the country make its way out of the prevailing economic crisis.

    Umar had played an important role in negotiating the deal as the finance minister. However, on April 18, he had announced to quit his portfolio after being told to do so by Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan.

  • Shadab declared fit; to play World Cup

    Shadab declared fit; to play World Cup

    Leg-spinner Shadab Khan has been declared fit to play the forthcoming World Cup after latest test revealed zero viral load in his blood.

    According to a press release issued by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Khan will leave for London on May 16, where he will meet Dr Patrick Kennedy on May 17, before joining the national team in Briston on May 20.

    His appearance in warm-up matches against Afghanistan and Bangladesh, however, will be subjected to team management’s decision and his fitness.

    Shadab himself also shared the news on his Twitter account.

    Khan had earlier been ruled out of the ongoing One Day International (ODI) series against England due to illness. “Tests revealed a virus that will require treatment and rest for, at least, four weeks,” PCB had said in a statement.

  • Feel-good dramas to watch this Ramazan

    Feel-good dramas to watch this Ramazan

    We are already a few days into Ramazan and while we’ve gotten better at fasting, the slow, sluggish afternoons counting down to aftari are still there. Here are some feel-good dramas you can watch on Youtube while you wait to break your fast.

    Suno Chanda 2

    Suno Chanda is more of a post-iftar fix than a pre-iftar one. It is the perfect end to a long day of fasting. The show, now in its second season (a first for a Pakistani drama) is a comedy-drama about a joint family with such relatable situations and dialogues that you have laughing fits by the end of the show. The first episode of the second season has almost 3 million hits in just two days, while the second one had more than 1 million.

    If you haven’t watched the first season, now is the time to jump the bandwagon.

    Dolly Darling

    The sitcom which airs on Har Pal Geo is centred on the shenanigans of a married couple. Starring Nadia Khan and Aijaz Aslam in the lead, the show has tons of drama and overacting. Its a good show for time-pass.

    Aunn Zaara

    Though Aunn Zaara is several years old, the theme of the show is so relevant that one should definitely watch it if they haven’t and watch it again if they have. The show follows a young couple and the “privileged” problems they face while adjusting with each other and their families. Aunn Zaara is also a comedy-drama which will have you laughing throughout. Plus Osman Khalid Butt and Maya Ali’s chemistry is really lit. If you liked Suno Chanda, chances are you will love this too.

    An afterthought: As I was searching for easy, feel-good shows to add to this list, I realised that the Pakistani drama industry really doesn’t have much to offer in this genre. Most of the shows are either romantic dramas or they have a social message attached to it. So basically if you’re in the mood to watch something light, Netflix will probably be your best bet. Or game shows, if reality TV is your thing.

  • CSS exams to be held in Urdu

    CSS exams to be held in Urdu

    The Senate has passed a resolution to allow aspirants of Central Superior Services (CSS) to take their examinations in Urdu alongside English.

    The resolution, passed on Monday with majority, was moved by
    Jamaate Islami (JI) Senator Sirajul Haq.

    In defence of his resolution, the JI chief said that Article 251 of the Constitution clearly directed to implement Urdu as the official language, however, it could not have been executed even after 45 years.

    Taking the floor, State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan said if the decision was implemented in haste, the drop out percentage in the exams would increase.

    “Students should be given an option to attempt the exams in their
    preferred language,” he added while assuring the upper house of implementation.

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Sassui Palijo, on the
    other hand, opposed the resolution and said English was an international
    language.

    “Countries like China, France and Germany, who were so concerned about their languages, are also promoting English to prepare their people to compete at the international level,” she added.

    Palijo further said that it would not be wise to “confine talents
    to Urdu language”.

  • Salary reveal: Fawad Ch was earning more as anchor, lawyer than as minister

    Salary reveal: Fawad Ch was earning more as anchor, lawyer than as minister

    Federal Minister for Science & Technology Fawad Chaudhry
    has revealed that he was earning way more as a television anchor and by practicing
    law in the past than at present as a minister.

    “A minister’s salary is Rs345,000, out of which the house rent is Rs90,000. We are paid Rs255,000 after that,” he tweeted while replying to a person who had asked him his salary amid massive budget cuts by the government.

    His salary at present is way less than the one he received as a television anchor for a private media outlet, as a known fact is how stalwarts like Fawad earn in millions while hosting shows.

    The same has been confessed by Fawad himself earlier. Speaking to a private media outlet in October 2018, he had said his income as a minister is way less than what he was getting as an anchor.

    When asked if he has any regrets after assuming office as a
    minister now that he doesn’t get any time to perform other duties, Fawad had said,
    “It is true that we have hefty engagements as ministers but our salaries are
    also very low.”