On August 14, the National Independence Day of Pakistan, entertainment and sports stars are celebrating the occasion by sharing messages of hope and prosperity with their millions of followers. Let’s see what some prominent figures have to say.
Singer and activist Shehzad Roy shared a song by Imran Akhood, who wrote a song about every Pakistani’s right to make a fair living.
Happy Independence Day. @imranakhoond one of the most brilliant guitarists of Pakistan, plays for the song with the concept that every Pakistani should receive a fair living wage, not just the minimum wage set by the government. pic.twitter.com/KQtalhHKcU
Actor and producer Humayun Saeed prayed for Allah to bless the nation with strength and traits that lead to progress and prosperity.
Happy Independence Day. May Allah bless our beloved Pakistan with strength and our nation with traits that lead to progress & prosperity. Pakistan Zindabad pic.twitter.com/JGIiVrjuAp
Cricket player Shaheen Shah Afridi celebrated the day with a post on his Instagram stories, praying for peace and prosperity.
Singer and actor Ahmed Ali Butt shared an Instagram post where he hoped one day, Pakistan would truly meet the definition of ‘Azaadi’ by being ‘debt-free, progress-minded and not suppressed.”
As Pakistan celebrates its 76th Independence Day, let’s take a look at what the country’s leaders chose to highlight in their messages.
Former Prime Minister Imran Khan has congratulated the nation on Independence Day in a prerecorded video, filmed before his arrest on August 5. He has also gave a message to Pakistan’s youth that they need to struggle hard to achieve success, adding that there is no need to go abroad to earn money. Iman Khan has also said that Pakistan was Allama Iqbal’s dream, and as a nation, we need to struggle hard for its success.
On the other hand, the outgoing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his best wishes to the nation on Independence Day.
He also paid tributes to Quaid-e-Azam in a tweet posted on Monday:
“On the 76th anniversary of Pakistan’s independence, I join the nation in paying rich tributes to the Quaid-i-Azam, and hundreds of thousands of unsung heroes of the freedom movement for their selflessness, sacrifices, and devotion to the cause of Pakistan. The Quaid’s statesmanship was a critical factor in shaping Pakistan’s story”.
The vice president of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), Maryam Nawaz Sharif, wrote “Pakistan Zindabad” in her tweet.
Interim Chief Minister of Punjab, Mohsin Naqvi, has said in his tweet, “Happy Independence Day. Honoured to join the 14th August function alongside Cabinet members, Judiciary, Army, Administration, and Police officers”. Senator Sherry Rehman has also said in her tweet “Happy Independence Day to all my fellow Pakistanis”.
On the other hand, former finance minister Ishaq Dar also wrote in his tweet “Happy Independent Day”.
Pakistan’s story from its conception to reality is one of resilience and defiance. While the odds during the freedom movement were the heaviest, they have continued to challenge us in different ways during the course of the last 76 years. No matter how formidable, Pakistan has…
پاکستان نام ہے عزم عالی شان کا۔ اس کامل یقین کا کہ ایک روشن سویرا ہمارا منتظر ہے۔ اس امید کا جو مشعلِ راہ بن کر ہمیں ایک تابندہ مستقبل کی طرف لے جارہی۔ سلامت رہو، میرے وطن کی مٹی۔ تا قیامت رہو!
Happy Independence Day Honored to join the 14th August function alongside Cabinet members, Judiciary, Army, Administration, and Police officers. Also Graced by esteemed Consul Generals from China, USA, and Iran. Great work by Walled City Authority Lahore, CBD , Lahore… pic.twitter.com/KM1lf59Ws0
Talking to journalists in Islamabad on Saturday, outgoing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that he has never denied his links with the establishment, calling himself the apple of their eyes. “When was my relationship with the establishment not good?”
Last week, Shehbaz lamented being touted as an “establishment’s man”.
“I was called the establishment’s man, but I did not care about those taunts. I never met army chiefs for personal reasons; the only motive behind those meetings was to ensure that the establishment and governments take the country forward together.”
Shehbaz Sharif said this during a farewell ceremony at the Prime Minister’s house. Senior reporters, journalists, and anchors came to the event.
On this occasion, the prime minister was questioned about why, in addition to encouraging investment in the nation, he was attributing General Asim Munir’s leadership to the Bhara Kahu Bypass project’s success
He said in response that the army chief was to be credited for ensuring the project’s prompt completion.
On the other hand, Former Information Minister Maryam Aurangzeb has explained that Shehbaz Sharif’s statement about being the apple of the establishment’s eye, he said it satirically. Maryam Aurangzeb further clarified that Shahbaz Sharif said, “If I am the apple of the eye, then why was I in Attock Fort, Attock Jail, Adiala Jail, and Kot Lakhpat Jail.” She added that Shahbaz Sharif went to jail during both General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani’s time and General Musharraf’s time.
Taking whole of the country by surprise, Senator Anwaar ul Haq Kakar has been declared the next Interim Prime Minister of Pakistan, assuming the highly sought-after position in a stunning turn of events. Raja Riaz, the opposition leader, made the declaration on Saturday after holding talks with the Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif.
Dr. Arif Alvi, President of Pakistan, also signed the summary of the appointment, making the appointment official.
The recently chosen interim premier was born in Balochistan’s Muslim Bagh neighborhood of Killa Saifullah district in 1971.
After finishing elementary school at St. Francis School in Quetta, he attended Cadet College in Kohat, but after the death of his father, he moved back to the provincial capital of Balochistan.
The Senator graduated from the University of Balochistan with a Master’s degree in political science and sociology.
In order to begin his profession, Senator Kakar worked as a teacher in his hometown. He was appointed in 2018 to serve as the primary spokesperson for the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and is also one of its founding members. The interim prime minister is also a chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis. In 2008, he contested elections for a seat in the National Assembly from Quetta on a Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) ticket.
Geo News’ Hamid Mir has said about him, “Though he has been involved in politics, Kakar is widely regarded as a great intellectual in the country.”
A clip of the caretaker PM immediately went viral in which he had said in a press conference held after May 9, “A section of the public made Imran Khan. A section of Pakistan’s judiciary made Imran. A section of Pakistan’s establishment also contributed. I am not condemning anyone, I am condemning only Imran. The people did not make Imran what he is to attack state institutions.” He also said, “May 9 is the darkest day in the history of Pakistan’s politics”.
Nitizen Saad Kaisar tweeted that “Whoever did this to the caretaker PM, woh abh apni khair manaye” to which Deputy Secretary General PMLN Pakistan Ataullah Tarar replied that “This isn’t Kakar sb.”
This isn’t Kakar sb Hes a Senator This clip is from NA
The weekend is here and we know you need to divert your attention from politician shenanigans. We get it, your brain is completely drained and you can’t make a decision on what show to watch. You need a change, a good distraction so we’re suggesting Korean dramas.
Yeah okay, you can’t watch shows with subtitles because its too distracting (but then how did you grow up watching Bollywood because their shows have different accents too, right?) It’s true that many of us are completely taken aback by how quickly and suddenly the Korean wave has gripped the entire world. But most importantly, how did Korean dramas suddenly become every woman’s comfort show?
I’ve been watching Korean dramas for the past three years and one of the things that drew me in was the gorgeous story telling, and how women in these shows were complex, well written, never shying away from reveling in their internal conflicts and desires to be the way they want to be. Coming from a lifetime of watching Bollywood or local television dramas where dramas written for women involved sexism, violence, or poorly, flat characters ending with happy marriages, changing my comfort watch seemed more like putting my mind at ease. Another thing, people commonly have shared as a token aspect they have come to adore about Korean dramas is how they offer an escape to a reality and culture completely different from their own. Quite commonly since the pandemic began and more people were locked up inside, Korean content offered a sense of ease with its architecture, the food or customs, and even how themes like building your own family offered a sense of relief for millennials bound by patriarchal customs of South Asian countries.
Give your doubts some ease, and take our advice that yes, there is a good reason why you won’t stop hearing Jung Kook’s ‘Seven’ on the radio. Take it from us and dedicate your Saturday night to one of these five recommendations we’re offering you, based on some of popular tropes loved by social media users.
If you love high school romances, then watch ‘True Beauty’
If high-school romances are what you love, then this is the drama you should watch. And also, if you’re completely into watching hot men, then yes Chan Eun-Woo is a good option. It follows an insecure teenager Lim Joo kyung, who was bullied for her looks and decides to change schools, as well as start wearing more makeup. As she navigates learning to be comfortable in her own skin, as well as her budding romance with the school’s resident hot boy Lee Su-hoo, you won’t help but get drawn into the wholesome storytelling, as well as how lovable and endearing Joo kyung is.
‘Fake dating but he falls harder for her’? Take ‘Her Private Life’
Deok Mi has a secret- she’s obsessed with the boyband White Ocean, like she’s obsessed OBSESSED. Watches all their concerts, runs a fan blog dedicated to Cha Si-An, even has posters all over her apartment. But when during a work assignment, she is snapped by paparazzi and mistaken to be Si-An’s girlfriend, quickly turns her into a target for hyper fan girls and makes her life even harder. When her boss, the uptight, stingy Ryan Gold steps into pretend to be her boyfriend to dispel the rumors, they agree to date until the rumors die down and everyone is convinced Si-An is taken. Ryan even has someone else, nothing will happen right…right?
Friends to lovers will make you wail, but not the way ‘Romance Is A Bonus Book’ will.
The worst day of Cha Eun-Ho’s life was when the longtime love of his life, and childhood best friend Dan-I married her high school sweetheart, completely sealing his heart to the possibility that anyone would suit him as he ascends the world of publishing. But the ground completely crumbles under his feet when he finds out that five years later after they cut off contact, Dan-I is homeless after her husband abandoned her and their daughter to make a new family. The two decide to live together, much to Eun-Ho’s dismay, as Dan-I takes on a job as an intern and obscures her CV to pretend she is a college dropout, not a marketing professional with years of experience. But as much as the two try to remain friends to keep their plot going, Eun-Ho realises he isn’t over Dan-i, and neither is she over him.
Enemies to lovers is *chef’s kiss*? ‘Shooting Stars’ will make you wish you had someone
Oh Han-Byul is the cranky, over-worked PR manager working for a leading celebrity agency, where she is directly responsible for handling Korea’s top celebrity, Gong Tae-Sun. His endless requests and hectic fanbase is the reason why Han Byul has a depleting dating life, no social skills, and a lifelong agenda to be the one to put Tae Sung in his grave. But as a scandal emerges which puts their relationship in a different light the two realised they are both heading towards a path that would be difficult to turn back from.
He’s a human, she’s an immortal being? ‘Legend of the blue sea’ is definitely for you
Forbidden love between an immortal being and a mortal will clench your heart, but this korean drama will become the reason why you cancel the last part of your social life. Heo Jung-Jae is a con-artist, a way to support himself after cutting off his father and supporting himself. He tricks billionaires into handing them their valuable assets to him, and escapes without a trace. But during a vacation to Spain, his accidental encounter with the mermaid Shim Cheong forces him to confide into his past life as a Joseon emperor who made the fatal mistake to fall in love with a mermaid and brought about his doom.
‘Heart of Stone’, Netflix’s new thriller starring Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt and Gal Gadot has brought out every critic’s stone heart. The spy thriller about an international secret agent who must use all means to protect the mysterious MacGuffin known as ‘Heart of Stone’ has been slammed by critics for its generic plot and poor performances with a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 4.9/10.
Variety called the film “joyless, convoluted, and sludgy-looking” as well as a “degraded descendant of Bond thrillers”. Their review described the film as a laborious two hours long weary form of bloat without a plot and an endless chain of events filled with action sequences.
Mashable wrote that the film has glaring similarities with Tom Cruise’s ‘Mission: Impossible- Dead Reckoning Part One”, calling it a “flimsy action knock-off” and also said that the assemble of the star-studded cast, including ’50 Shades Of Grey’s” Jamie Dornan, failed to charm owing to a bad script that gave them little content to start with.
Giving it a meagre 2/5 stars, Indian Express wrote that Alia Bhatt’s talent had been wasted, as this was the Bollywood actor’s debut Hollywood project- pointing out how she was minimised when her talent could have been utilized better. Their review futher criticised the film’s poor dialogue and overuse of character’s talking in cliche’s like “You know what you signed up for”, and, “Behind you!” or the limited ways their roles were fleshed out throughout the film.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has taken steps to obtain the records of the Toshakhana case involving the imprisoned Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman, Imran Khan, who is currently serving time in Attock Jail.
The division bench of the IHC, comprising Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, issued the directive in response to Imran’s appeal against his conviction in the Toshakhana case.
In an official statement released today, the IHC has issued an order to the district election commissioner of Islamabad which states, “Notice to the respondent. Office is directed to requisition the record of the learned Trial Court.”
On August 5, a District and Sessions Court gave a three-year prison sentence to the PTI chairman as part of the Toshakhana criminal case.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs 100,000 on Imran Khan. Additionally, the former prime minister was prohibited from holding any public office for a duration of five years.
The court’s verdict emphasized that the former prime minister had knowingly provided false information regarding Toshakhana gifts to the ECP and was found guilty of engaging in corrupt practices.
Subsequently, he was arrested from his residence in Zaman Park, Lahore, and transferred to Attock Jail.
Designer Maria B has yet again decided to court controversy. The fashion maven took to social media to disperse more of her opinions about transgender communities, because she knows them better than the experts from the community, right? On Friday, the face behind the fashion brand ‘Maria B’ tweeted how the biggest threats to women universities were “biological men” aka transgender women, who were invading women’s bathrooms. She called for a ban on giving admission to transpeople in women’s colleges.
“Women Universities in Pakistan are under attack. Biological men are now being given admission in our safe spaces for women. Female bathrooms are now being invaded by biological men who feel like women….As it is we live in a Conservative society where parents hesitate sending their daughters for higher education. Forcing biological men into women’s universities under the garb of transgenders will be a great disservice to women’s education. Watch how parents will start stopping their daughters from getting education bcz there are MEN PRETENDING TO BE WOMEN in the universities.”
The fashion designer went on to slam women rights organisations like Aurat March for “not standing up for women’s rights” and “shutting women’s voices”.
Women Universities in Pakistan are under attack. Biological men are now being given admission in our safe spaces for women. Female bathrooms are now being invaded by bioligical men who feel like women.. Women rights organisations (especially Aurat March which is too busy… pic.twitter.com/fGsWvbzGbn
— Maria.B: Woman=Adult Human Female (@RealMariaButt) August 11, 2023
However, reports from universities all around Pakistan would disprove Maria B’s take that the transgender community is the biggest reason why parents are refraining their daughters from going to universities. Because from all the recent cases of sexual harassment and rape reports from colleges, we can’t help but deduce that the majority of the perpetuators behind these assaults are men.
Take for instance, the recent case in Ghazi University where a young woman complained of being sexually assaulted and threatened by two male professors who were black mailing her younger sister.
Or the matter of the ex-head security officer at Islamia University in Bahawalpur, who was caught in July with multiple illicit videos of women and female staff on his phone. He was allegedly black mailing women with threats to leak the videos.
In June, another male employee at King Edward Medical College was caught making videos of women in washrooms, an action which launched protests as several women revealed they had consistently filed complaints with the KEMU administration about the pressence of male staff members in female bathrooms.
In not one of these stories is it mentioned that a transgender woman was caught harassing or black mailing a woman. However recently, reports circulated on social media of a transgender activist who was forcibly converted in a rehabilitation centre Focus Life, where she detailed reports of being tortured, sexually harassed and abused for her gender identity.
So there you have it folks, it is not transgender women who are making other women feel unsafe in universities, but it is the way institutes turn a blind eye to male privilege, sexual harassment, and protection of harassers that keeps women feeling unsafe in these places.
The suspense is over. Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, who belongs to Balochistan Awami Party, has been made caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan.
Anwaar ul Haq Kakar, elected to the Pakistani Senate from Balochistan in March 2018, previously worked as the advisor to Chief Minister of Balochistan’s information department from January to March 2018 and as the government of Balochistan’s spokesperson from December 2015 to January 2018. He has often spoken about on academic and policy-making platforms as an avid book reader and ardent thinker with an understanding of the problems faced by Pakistan’s restive Baloch province.
Senator Kakar holds a hopeful vision for a powerful Balochistan, committed to the Pakistani nation.
He graduated from the National Defence University in Islamabad with a bachelor’s degree in political science and sociology. English, Urdu, Persian, Pushto, Balochi, and Brahvi are all spoken by him with ease.
