Author: newsdesk

  • Mahira’s Mehndi look revealed and the ‘something special’ on her arm

    Mahira’s Mehndi look revealed and the ‘something special’ on her arm

    Actress Mahira Khan has kept us enthralled with a steady stream of wedding pictures on her Instagram account, emphasizing the dedication and love that went into planning the looks. She moved social media users last by sharing how she honoured the women in her family by starting the wedding ceremony with a prayer, as per her mother’s wish, and wore a motia in her ear to commemorate her dadi.

    READ MORE: How Mahira honoured her mother’s wish in her wedding

    Now Mahira has shared pictures of her Mehndi ceremony, and added how she honoured her best friend Asim Raza by wearing a string of motias in both her arms, “he is Asim and I’m his mahiru.. forever InshAllah.”

    Asim Raza was clearly moved by the dedication as he wrote: “Meri phoolon jaisi mehekti Mahira”

    Celebrities gushed about how gorgeous the actress looked at the ceremony. Yumna Zaidi wrote: “Sab say pyaari”

  • Taji Khokhar’s son alleged to have strangled wife to death

    Taji Khokhar’s son alleged to have strangled wife to death

    Farrukh Imtiaz Khokhar’s wife has been found dead in Dhoke Gangal house in Rawalpindi on Sunday.

    A mother of four, Ramsha was found to have signs of strangulation around her neck.

    According to her brother, Ali Raza, she was murdered by her husband before her body was hanged from a ceiling fan of his house.

    As per an FIR lodged by Raza with the Airport police, Ramsha married her cousin Farrukh Khokhar about 14 years ago.

    He added that Khokhar had been mistreating his wife and would often threaten to kill her.

    He was also involved in a relationship with a girl and would take her to other countries.

    Five days before her murder, Ramsha informed Ali Raza and her father that Farrukh had threatened to kill her.

    Farrukh had gone to Qatar with his girlfriend and returned at 3am on Sunday. According to the FIR, he started taunting and abusing his wife as soon as he reached home.

    Ali Raza received a phone call around 9 am from his brother-in-law, Mohammad Imtiaz, who informed that Ramsha was found hanging from a ceiling fan in her husband’s house.

    Raza and his other brother-in-law, Umar Imtiaz, hurried to Farrukh’s house and found Ramsha hanging with her dupatta tied around her neck.

    “My sister had died. There were two marks of strangulation around her neck and nothing was lying under her body,” he highlighted in the FIR.

    In the FIR, he also claimed that Farrukh called him on WhatsApp and threatened him of dire consequences.

    Raza believes that Farrukh killed his sister with the help of his brother Samar Imtiaz.

    The police has taken the body to the District Headquarters Hospital for postmortem.

    As per the initial police report, Ramsha’s body was lying on the floor and black marks were found around her neck.

  • World Cup 2023: Pakistani cricket presenter Zainab Abbas sent back from India due to safety concerns

    Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) sources have confirmed to The Current that Zainab Abbas has reached Dubai from India while her departure from India was confirmed by close aides.

    According to PCB, Zainab was under a lot of pressure in India after receiving threats.

    Zainab returned back on the advice of broadcasters and her family.

    It is pertinent to mention here that Indian lawyer Vineet Jindal officially lodged a complaint against Zainab Abbas, regarding a series of old tweets resurfaced on X, formerly known as Twitter.

    Read More: Indian anti-minority lawyer targets a Pakistani over fake allegations

    These tweets are alleged to contain content considered “anti-Hindu” in nature.

    Vineet Jindal claimed that these anti-Hindu tweets were originally posted approximately nine years ago under the username “Zainablovesrk,” which has since been changed to “ZAbbas Official,” the currently active X account of Zainab Abbas.

    The reports of Zainab being deported from India are fake, according to ICC she has left for “personal reasons”.

  • Shah Rukh Khan’s security upgraded after extensive death threats

    Shah Rukh Khan’s security upgraded after extensive death threats

    Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan has been provided with Y+ security by the Mumbai Police, including six armed security personnel guarding the actor around the clock.

    The actor filed a complaint with the police and the Maharashtra government after two of his films, ‘Pathaan’ and ‘Jawan’, broke box office records.

    This is not the first time the actor has been given death threats from the underworld. Filmmaker Sanjay Gupta recalled in September that the Bollywood Badshah was subjected to bullying during the 90s from underworld dons, but he continued making films. “Goli marni hai mar do, par tumhaare liye kaam nahi karoonga. Main pathan hoon,” Gupta recalled him saying.

    Shah Rukh Khan is not the only star who has recieved death threats from gangsters. In June, a gangster who went by the name Goldy Brar, who took responsibility for the death of rapper Sidhu Moose Wala, told India Today that he will kill Salman Khan.

    READ MORE: ‘Salman Khan is next’: threat from gangster who claimed to kill Sidhu Moose Wala

    Goldy Brar, who goes by the name Satindeerjeet Singh, revealed that the ‘Tiger’ actor was being targeted for his involvement in the killing of the black buck, a sacred animal in the Bishnoi community.

  • ‘Sports should be kept away from politics’; PM Kakar concerned over visa issue

    ‘Sports should be kept away from politics’; PM Kakar concerned over visa issue

    In the midst of a visa delay affecting Pakistani cricket fans and journalists attempting to attend the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup in India, Interim Prime Minister Anwar ul Haq Kakar emphasized the importance of keeping sports separate from politics.

    In a recent interview on the YouTube channel “Talk Shock”, the Premier talked to journalists Azaz Syed and Umer Cheema, staying that, “Sports should be kept away from politics.”

    He went on to express a sentiment of cooperation, saying that, “If the World Cup was held in Pakistan, we would’ve issued visas to India.”

    Prime Minister Kakar also extended his best wishes to the Pakistan cricket team, hoping that their performance would bring pride to the nation.

    Read More: Was there a five-ball over during the match between Pakistan and Netherlands?

    As of now, the Indian government has not granted visas to Pakistani cricket fans and journalists. This marks the first time since the 1975 World Cup that no Pakistani journalist is present in the press gallery at an ICC Cricket World Cup event.

  • Notices issued to Bajwa and Faiz over ‘controversial’ interviews

    Notices issued to Bajwa and Faiz over ‘controversial’ interviews

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has issued notices to former Army Chief General (retired) Qamar Javed Bajwa and former ISI Chief Lieutenant General (retired) Faiz Hameed over allegations of violating rules by giving interviews after their retirement, where they are accused of misrepresenting events.

    The notices were issued in response to a complaint filed by a private citizen named Atif Ali.

    The petition says that journalists Shahid Maitla and Javed Chaudhry conducted interviews with Bajwa and Faiz for the sake of viewership which had a “negative impact” on society. The petitioner said that he had been taken aback when he saw the articles as they could “pollute” society. It added that the garb of freedom of expression was used for a “criminal act”.

    The petition further alleges that events were misrepresented in the interviews and that the “criminal act” was conducted through connivance between the journalists and the generals.

    The petition says that the interviews portrayed a negative image of the institution and tried to create a rift between it and the people of Pakistan. Copies of the articles have also been attached to the petition.

    In addition to Gen. Bajwa and Lt. Gen. Hameed, notices have also been issued to the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) and the Press Association of Pakistan. Two journalists, Shahid Maitla and Javed Chaudhry, who conducted the interviews in question, have also been summoned by the court.

    Islamabad High Court’s Chief Justice, Aamer Farooq, in a written order issued on Monday, expressed dissatisfaction with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for not responding to the petitioner’s repeated requests to file a complaint.

  • Namira Saleem returns from space

    Namira Saleem returns from space

    The first Pakistani woman to go into space returns along with two other travelers

    In this fourth commercial spaceflight the other two passengers were British advertising executive Trevor Beattie and American astronomy educator Ron Rosano.

    The flight started with take-off at precisely 8:10 pm PST (1540 GMT) when Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity Space plane lifted off under the wings of its carrier craft called Virgin Mothership (VMS) Eve. Unity was taken to the height at roughly 1624 GMT at an altitude of around 45,000 feet (13,700 meters). Unity then powered its way into suborbital space, reaching its highest point of 54.3 miles from Earth and hit a top speed of Mach 2.95 (nearly three times the speed of sound) during its short trip. The flight ended at 12:43 pm EDT (1643 GMT), when Unity finally touched down at Spaceport America.

    On coming back, Namira posted a picture with the caption: From space back to Earth! First Female Virgin Galactic Founder Astronaut! And many more Firsts!

    Previously she was excited about having used the same spaceflight gear as the one used by the founder of Virgin Galactic’s founder Richard Branson himself back in July 2021.

    Pakistan’s ambassador to the US, Masood Khan, also applauded Namira Salim on her feat, saying: “Because of you our nation’s flag fluttered in space today.”

    Who is Namira Salim?
    Namira is a multidimensional personality with interests ranging from singing to space-exploration. Based in Monaco and Dubai, she is the founder of Space Trust and describes herself as the First Female Astronaut at Galactic and the first Asian to have skydived from The Everest. She secured the ticket with Virgin Galactic back in 2006 and the price of the ticket has appreciated to $450,000 since then.

    Read more on this

    Pakistan’s Namira Saleem set to launch into space

  • Imran Khan objects to treatment in Adiala jail

    Imran Khan objects to treatment in Adiala jail

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s attorney, Salman Safdar, said on Monday that the former Prime Minister has objected to the way he is being treated at Adiala jail.

    Salman Safdar said that Imran Khan has been kept in jail like any other prisoner.

    “The chairman protested that he was provided with a room where it was difficult to live. It is also difficult to move or walk in the cell,” said Safdar. He added that he felt that the PTI chief’s blood pressure was high during today’s hearing.
    “The PTI chief strongly protested during the hearing in the court,” said Safdar.
    Moreover, Imran Khan’s attorney requested that the trial be conducted in an open court so that the public could be aware of it, adding that it is not “right” to conduct the trial in jail.

    On the other hand, Khan’s other lawyer, Sher Afzal Marwat, has said that Imran Khan and PTI’s vice chairman, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, were standing in a “cage” during the hearing. Terrorists are not even presented before court in this manner, the indignant lawyer commented.
    The special court also announced that PTI leaders will be indicted in the cipher case on October 17.

  • Sajal Aly questions Lux Style Awards selection criteria

    Sajal Aly questions Lux Style Awards selection criteria

    The Lux Style Awards were met with criticism this year, with major film and drama actors speaking out against the unfair selection process that only seemed to recognise few of the best projects that came out this year. The production team behind the critically acclaimed film ‘The Legend Of Maula Jatt’ had justified their reason for not sending their nomination for the awards in a statement, that criticised the lack of categories honouring film directors and writers, “disregarding their major and substantial creative contributions, while including one for best playback song doesn’t resonate with our vision for comprehensive film recognition. Therefore, we’ve decided not to make an exception in this case.”

    Read more: Why wasn’t ‘Maula Jatt’ nominated for the Lux Style Awards?

    Several fans expressed their disappointment on Wahaj Ali’s, pointing out that the actor was not nominated despite having submitted his portfolio for the drama series ‘Jo Bichar Gaye’.

    Actress Sajal Aly took to Instagram to call out the selection jury, suggesting ways to improve their criteria so that deserving performances are given due credit. She questioned why several actors who gave excellent performances this year including Zara Noor Abbas for ‘Badshah Begum’ or Ushna Shah for ‘Habs’ weren’t given awards.

    “It is greatly dissapointing to me as an artist that LSA routinely ignores other artists who are doing great work. For example, Mehwish Hayat who was great in London Nahi Jaunga’. Zara Noor Abbas for ‘Badshah Begum’ and Ushna Shah for ‘Habs’. Who exactly are the jury members, do they watch our shows even? Or do they simply choose who is popular? It is one thing not to win an award but to simply be ignored even if you have done great work is heartbreaking!”

    Moving on, the ‘Kuch Ankahi’ actress requested the Lux Style Awards to include categories honouring the technical teams “who create magic for us, us actors and for the audiences who see us.”

    Lastly, the ‘Ye Dil Mera’ actress expressed her disappointment at Wahaj Ali’s snub from the Lux Style Awards, and called for a seperate category honouring supporting actors in films and actors to be set up.

    ‘My third request is: please add a way/caetgory to honor supporting actors. We have great actors who make our plays stronger because of their contributions. Let’s appreciate them please. PS: How could Jo Bichar Gaye not even be nominated?”

    Sajal Aly was not the only actress who expressed her disdain at the jury board, but Farhan Saeed, who was nominated for his performance in drama ‘Mere Humsafar’, but then lost to Arsalan Naseer for ‘Paristaan’, called out the awards in an Instagram post for refusing to honour actors for their hard work.

    “If you had to fix it , it could have been done intelligently at least #LSA2023 ! I don’t say this for myself but for anyone who deserves a fair chance at winning for their hard work at any platform, I say this to encourage ppl who aspire to join our industry! I say this to keep people’s faith in us intact !
    Nevertheless
    Your Love Is The Biggest Award I Have !!
    Congratulations to all the winners!”

  • Jinnah House Trial to be completed in 1.5 months

    Jinnah House Trial to be completed in 1.5 months

    In a recent development, Punjab’s Special Prosecutor, Syed Farhad Ali Shah, revealed that the Home Department has issued a notification to conduct the trial of the May 9 cases within the confines of a jail facility.

    Speaking about the matter, Syed Farhad Ali Shah stated, “The Jinnah House trial is set to be completed within a timeframe of one to one and a half months.” He also confirmed that the challan (charge sheet) has been submitted to the court.

    The notification issued by the Home Department specifies that not only the Jinnah House case but also the arson and siege cases related to Askari Tower and Shadman police station will be conducted within jail premises. The move aims to streamline legal proceedings and enhance security during the trials.

    In a related development, Justice Ali Baqir Najfi of the Lahore High Court (LHC), on Monday, directed Punjab government prosecutors to apprise the court in the Khadijah Shah case after taking directions from the government.

    The petitioner, through a lawyer, pleaded that she was unduly implicated in the May 9 riots incidents and Gulberg police station had illegally involved her in the case against the facts.
    “The Anti-Terrorism Court dismissed the bail by ignoring the facts,” Khadija Shah pleaded via her lawyer in the provincial apex court.

    Earlier, the LHC had conditionally dismissed the registrar’s objections to Khadija Shah’s bail plea, deciding to remove objectionable documents from the application and dismissing the objection itself.

    In another recent development, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) has ordered the release of Sanam Javed Khan, a prominent Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) activist, and eight other party members in connection with the Jinnah House attack case. The decision comes after a series of legal proceedings surrounding the incident earlier this year.

    Presiding over the case, ATC Judge Arshad Javed announced the verdict, granting bail to the nine suspects involved in the Jinnah House attack. The court approved their bail pleas, requiring surety bonds worth Rs 0.1 million each, thereby paving the way for their release.