Author: optimum_tech

  • Jemima Goldsmith, Talha Anjum statements on Palestine-Israel war trigger intense backlash, debate

    Jemima Goldsmith, Talha Anjum statements on Palestine-Israel war trigger intense backlash, debate

    As the Palestine-Israel conflict rages on in the Middle East, several celebrities have come forward in favor of the Palestine struggle or against it.

    Rapper Talha Anjum took to Twitter to share how social media users should not encourage the war, as it might further aggravate the oppression Palestinians were already suffering from, leaving users divided.

    “An average Pakistani knows how to post praises for Hamas for killing hundreds of Israeli soldiers/citizens but isn’t smart enough to realise what’s stored in for Palestinians in coming days. 600 already dead. Stop glorifying wars. Grow the f*** up!!”

    Many users sided with the ‘Gumaan’ rapper, as one user wrote: “I tend to agree to this to some extent. These praises aren’t for Hamas, these praises are for the fightback. but yeah, things were already bad and are about to get worse for Palestinians. Prayers for Palestine.”

    While other user’s felt that Talha’s statement was extremely problematic as a user wrote: “No one knows this better than the Palestinians. Imagine the desperation of them to fight like this as a last resort! If peace talks ever worked they would have done it a long time ago. Each and every time Israel has broken their contract. They would never be liberated w/o war”

    Another user wrote: “Bhai rebellion against oppression..which the people of Palestine have been facing since years now isn’t w@r and Hamas doens’t even have the resources to compete with Israel atm ..what are you even saying ..the only ones suffering were and are suffering now are Palestinians.”

    Talha Anjum’s take alone did not trigger a debate about the conflict. Screenwriter and ex-wife of former prime minister Imran Khan, Jemima, shared on Twitter that she was standing in favour of innocent human beings who were killed in this war.

    “I stand with the innocent human beings on both sides of this conflict, especially the children. Condemn both.”

    Many users felt her take was justified

    While others accused the ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It’ filmmaker of playing on both sides and refusing to take a solid stance against Israel’s senseless massacre of countless Palestinian civilians. On another post where Jemima shared a quote saying “I stand with international law and human rights. There is no humanity in political tribalism”, most of the comments from Pakistanis were overwhelmingly negative.

  • Pakistani Journalists furious over ‘Whatsapp’ solution by ICC for World Cup coverage

    Pakistani Journalists furious over ‘Whatsapp’ solution by ICC for World Cup coverage

    India has not granted a visa to any Pakistani journalist to cover the cricket World Cup 2023 yet and the International Cricket Council (ICC) has come up with a solution stating that questions can be asked via Whatsapp, provoking more anger.

    As a temporary solution while Pakistani journalists await clearance for World Cup coverage in India, the ICC has introduced a method for them to submit their questions to an ICC media manager via WhatsApp. These questions will then be presented to the Pakistani representative attending the media conferences.

    The ICC released a statement saying, “In addition to fielding questions from the present media, the Pakistani representative at the media conference will also respond to a selection of queries submitted by members of the Pakistani media who are still awaiting travel approval for the event.”

    Expressing their disappointment, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has lodged a formal complaint with the International Cricket Council (ICC). Recent reports indicate that no Pakistani journalist was present at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad when Pakistan kicked off their World Cup campaign against the Netherlands last week.

    The PCB conveyed their disappointment in a letter to the ICC, stating, “The PCB is dismayed by the uncertainty faced by Pakistani journalists and fans in obtaining Indian visas to cover Pakistan’s opening game in the ICC World Cup. Pakistani journalists and fans are expressing deep concern, putting us under immense pressure.”

    In response, an ICC spokesperson commented, “We recognize the vital role played by journalists and passionate fans in elevating the spirit and ambiance of sporting events.”

    “This is an obligation of our host and they are working hard on it with our full support. Every effort is being made to get this sorted,” an ICC spokesperson told The Current.

    Pakistan Cricket Board Management Committee Chairman Mr. Zaka Ashraf has called upon Pakistan Foreign Secretary Syrus Sajjad Qazi and raised serious concerns and alarm over the delay in fans and journalists visas for India to cover the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup. 

    The chairman also requested the Foreign Secretary to take up the issue with India’s Home Ministry through the Pakistan High Commission Office in New Delhi. The PCB has also taken serious notice of security threats being reported in Indian media and requested the government to evaluate player’s security in India. He emphasised that the well-being and safety of the Pakistan squad were of paramount importance.

    PCB is extremely disappointed to see that journalists from Pakistan and fans are still facing uncertainty about obtaining an Indian visa to cover Pakistan games in ICC World Cup 2023. In the meantime, PCB has again reminded ICC and BCCI of their respective obligations and terms and conditions stipulated in the Host agreement to guarantee visas for fans and journalists of participating teams.

    Pakistani Journalists are upset over this entire situation.

    Abdul Ghaffar, a sporta Journalist wrote took to X (formerly Twitter),

    “ICC instead of asking Pakistan Journo to send questions via Whatsapp must make sure well in advance that Pakistan Media gets visa on time and travelled,” he wrote.

    Another sports journalist, Ubaid Awan, withdrew his ICC media accreditation for World Cup 2023 in protest.

  • ‘Show empathy’: Mia Khalifa defends Malala Yousafzai over response to Palestine genocide

    ‘Show empathy’: Mia Khalifa defends Malala Yousafzai over response to Palestine genocide

    As Israel launches full scale war on Palestine, many celebrities, including prominent faces in Pakistan, have expressed outrage and sent solidarity to the Palestinian people. Among the Pakistani public figures, a few social media users were critical of Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai.

    Former adult star Mia Khalifa defended the activist after a Pakistani twitter user praised Mia on Twitter for vocally sending her support to Palestine, and commented on Malala’s silence on the issue.

    ‘You spoke more than our Noble Peace Prize winner Malala and earned huge respect for this act,” the user wrote.

    To which Mia had responded:

    “I appreciate your sentiment, but I don’t agree with this rhetoric. We need to be more empathetic to people’s traumas and ability to absorb and digest things unfolding in real time. Freezing is a trauma response, feeling overwhelmed is common, and we need to give people time to speak on their own time. Malala is a trailblazer for human rights, she’s an inspiration and a guiding light for many.”

    Many applauded Mia’s empathetic response.

  • ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’: Celebrities extend support as war rages on in Gaza

    ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’: Celebrities extend support as war rages on in Gaza

    As war rages on in Gaza, celebrities from Pakistan came forth in throngs to extend their solidarity to the Palestinian community, offering prayers to see them free from the oppressive Israeli occupation.

    Celebrities from Pakistan arrived in throngs to extend their solidarity to the Palestinian community, and are praying in their lifetimes to see a free country removed from the oppressive Israeli reign.

    Actress Saba Qamar wrote the rallying cry for Palestinian freedom: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!”

    Veteran actress Nadia Jamil applauded a clip where the Palestinian representative Husam Zomlot gave an interview to the BBC.

    Actress Armeena Khan lauded the bravery of the Palestinian people who were prepared to fight with all they had for their freedom.

    “The Palestinians, in my opinion are the bravest people on planet earth. Zero support and the entire world against them. My God, I am terrified for the little children about to lose their lives. Sigh..”

    Actress and VJ Anoushay Ashraf prayed that the international community would do more to help the Palestinian cause:

    “Goodness violence begets violence..I wish the world would do more to help Palestinian’s cause so we wouldn’t see such bloodshed.”

    Actress Ushna Shah expressed her disappointment with how many celebrities and politicians she had to unfollow after witnessing their reaction to the ongoing genocide of Palestinians

    “The amount of Hollywood celebrities and propaganda news publications I’ve had to unfollow…” she tweeted.

  • Sarwat Gilani announces her pregnancy in the most wholesome way

    Sarwat Gilani announces her pregnancy in the most wholesome way

    This year’s Lux Style Awards were more than just a ceremony celebrating the best of the entertainment industry. We got two sweet surprises that definitely became the highlights of the event.

    Actress Sarwat Gilani showed everyone how to leave a mark even when you’re not nominated, by announcing her pregnancy in a picture with the rest of the ‘Joyland’ cast.

    “Couldn’t think of a better picture to announce our new arrival! Celebrating together the biggest joy of now and the future.”

    Celebrities were as moved by the announcement as social media users, congratulating the actress on her impending bundle of joy.

    Mira Sethi and Frieha Altaf sent their congratulations to the actress.

    Sarwat was not the only celebrity to share her pregnancy announcement, however. Actress Urwa Hocane moved social media to tears when she shared a picture of herself and husband Farhan Saeed along with her visible baby bump, announcing that they were set to become parents for the first time.

    Celebrities like Zara Noor Abbass, Aiman Khan and Minal Khan congratulated Urwa for this wholesome announcement.

  • Slay or nay: our favourite looks from the Lux Style Awards

    Slay or nay: our favourite looks from the Lux Style Awards

    The Lux Style Awards really lived up to its name last night with how the creme de la creme of Pakistan’s entertainment industry came out, dressed to the nines. Some of the biggest stars of Pakistan were present to celebrate the night’s occasion like Saba Qamar, Saim Sadiq, Yumna Zaidi, and even Maya Ali. Most importantly, who were the best looks of the night? This time we can safely say that celebrities served a whole three course dinner with the way they slayed on the red carpet, and we’re sharing some of the looks that had us going oh la la!

    Haseena Yumna Zaidi was the belle of the ball last night, walking away with two of the biggest awards and looking like she stepped out of a fairy tale. The actress wore a shimmering ensemble by Noor H Gul, paired with a simple makeup look and her hair in an elegant bun.

    Alina Khan may have only stepped into the main screen last year with her standout performance as Biba in ‘Joyland’ but she isn’t ready to fade away yet. The actress left everyone spellbound by how serene she looked at the awards last night with a decorated peplum she paired with a black silk skirt, and silver earrings, to make her outfit shine.

    Saba Qamar was a vision of elegance in the silk gown she had donned for the red carpet, and then the glittering ivory saari she wore during the performances. The actress walked away with the Best Actress award because of her stellar performance in ‘Kamli’.

    Shae Gill won us over last year with her gorgeous singing but she is also ready to win more hearts with her sense of style. The ‘Sukoon’ singer looked gorgeous posing in a shimmery white gown with her hair pulled back in a bun, and was the recipient of the Most Streamed Song Of The Year award for ‘Pasoori’.

    The headliner of the awards, and the one with whom we close this piece with a bang was definitely Ayesha Omar. She didn’t just come to serve, she came to break all expectations and leave us absolutely flabbergasted, even though the actress was not nominated for any awards. The ‘Bulbulay’ actress looked as if she stepped out of a Gatsby party with her glittering, dark blue ensemble along with her hair set in a 50’s style hairdo. We feel a separate category should be set up by Lux just to award the stylish person of the night: so that Ayesha wins every time!

  • Here are all the celebrities who were present at Mahira Khan, Salim Karim’s wedding

    Here are all the celebrities who were present at Mahira Khan, Salim Karim’s wedding

    Pakistan’s sweetheart Mahira Khan was a picture of serenity at her intimate wedding to tech businessman Salim Karim.

    There was barely any information of who was invited to the private occasion, where only close friends and family members, along with a few figures from the entertainment industry, were present. In our previous story, we were able to decipher that among the attendees were PPP Senator Sherry Rehman, fashion designer and Mahira’s childhood best friend Feeha Noor Javed, and social media bloggers.

    READ MORE: Who attended Mahira Khan, Salim Karim’s wedding?

    However, it looks like some celebrities did attend the occasion. Producer Nina Kashif shared pictures of the event on her Instagram stories, where director and actor Sarmad Khoosat, actor Shehryar Munawar, singer Azaan Sami Khan, fashion designer Asim Raza, director Nabeel Qureshi could be seen.

    The producer, who partnered with the ‘Raees’ actress to purchase the rights of Faiqa Mansab’s book ‘This House Of Clay and Water’ shared some pictures from the mehndi where actress Momal Sheikh was also present, who is starring in Mahira’s currently airing drama ‘Razia’.

    The sister of the groom Farah shahid Karim had shared a picture of the family along with the groom with the caption: “My brother’s wedding”

  • ‘India could never’: Pakistani Twitter has declared no cricket anthem rocks like Koi Nahi Like Us

    We know y’all were incredibly dissapointed by the lackluster effort that was ICC’s cricket anthem ‘Dil Jashne Bol’ but fear not, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is here to save the day with the absolute banger that is ‘Koi Nahi Like Us’ featuring Young Stunners, QB, HYDR and AHSAN. The verdict is out: cricket ka to pata nahin but we lead the race when it comes to good cricket anthems.

    One user on Twitter wrote: “Whether we win or not, Anthem toh winner hai. You’re lying if you didn’t have a blast seeing all the cameos, especially the fan who danced to Atif’s anthem. A HUNDRED points for the cat cameo!”

    Take a page out of our book ICC on how to create hype around cricket events

    “The chorus and beat are quite catchy! The video is absolutely amazing with stunning aesthetics, and the lyrics are so relevant! Far better than the song released by ICC,” another user wrote.

    Many Twitter users were hyped by the appearance of cricket star Naseem Shah in the music video

  • ‘Be honest’: David Beckham’s hilarious takedown of wife Victoria is winning Twitter

    ‘Be honest’: David Beckham’s hilarious takedown of wife Victoria is winning Twitter

    Netflix just released a documentary on the life of the British footballer David Beckham. The documentary details the biggest moments of his career and the controversies that happened. The film also provides an insight into his relatonship to former Spice Girls singer and fashion designer Victoria Beckham, whom he married in 1999 and shares four children with.

    A clip from the documentary is going viral on social media where David hilariously challenges Victoria’s claim she came from a working class family. The ‘Wannabe’ singer can be seen talking about how she came from a working class family, when David cheekily interrupts and says, “Be honest”. When Victoria tries justifying her stance, he hilariously reminds the fashion designer that she went to school in a Rolls Royce car.

    The 25 second clip is going viral on Twitter with users in fits at how David roasted his wife on her ‘working class family’ claims.

    “I’ve watched this like a million times and it’s funny every single time!!!! Like he opened the door, ate my sister up and shut the door UNPROVOKED,” one user wrote.

  • Why is India hosting the World Cup with empty stadiums?

    Why is India hosting the World Cup with empty stadiums?

    Social media users are questioning the decision by the ICC to let India host the World Cup when there is no opening ceremony and barely any spectators in the first match.

    Interestingly, when the Asia Cup was being partially hosted by Pakistan, some Indians criticized the ‘empty stadium’ in Multan. Now, the tables have turned, India is the host, the first match is between New Zealand and England, finalists of the last World Cup, and the stadium is empty. There was no opening ceremony for ICC World Cup 2023 and honestly, we can’t see spectators either.

    This one’s hilarious, to be honest, does this remind you of Asif Zardari too?

    Twitter user Ahsan Shehzad said, “A complete empty stadium in Ahmedabad, is India the right place to host the WC??”

    Osama highlighted multiple issues regarding the World Cup being hosted in India

    Anas Tipu wanted a banter with Irfan Pathan, who blames everything on neighbors

    Trendulkar hopes that the stadium will fill up after office hours