Category: Uncategorized

  • ‘Shaheer isn’t negative’: Syed Jibran reacts to backlash on his character in ‘Daraar’

    ‘Shaheer isn’t negative’: Syed Jibran reacts to backlash on his character in ‘Daraar’

    Actor Syed Jibran has cleared the air regarding his character in Geo Entertainment’s drama serial Daraar, in his recent interview with BBC.

    Jibran addressed his character by saying, “I feel like Shaheer is not a negative character. It is, in fact, very good that our stories have evolved in such a way that the traditional hero-heroine and villain situations are less common.”

    He added, “A character does not have to spread either good or bad. My character in Daraar is going with a similar story. He’s a great guy in the beginning but he is also troublesome later.”

    He further explained why he doesn’t think Shaheer is a problematic character. “Most of the time, when a man has any illicit relations with other women, he is not sincere with his wife and doesn’t pay attention to her. However, we have shown that Shaheer is a perfect husband and an ideal son-in-law. He’s a great brother but he is also very calculated with his acts. He can also be so cruel that his public image echoes perfection, but the vices and weaknesses in his personality also shape him.”

  • Saad Rafique directs PIA to install mobile charging points in aircraft

    Federal Aviation Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique on Saturday directed Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to install charging stations for electronic devices in their aircraft.

    The minister also instructed the national flag carrier to make seats more comfortable for the passengers. In addition, it was advised to install a flight entertainment system in the aircraft.

    Officials were directed to review its current branding as well.

    “Special arrangements should be made for cleaning the washrooms,” he added.

    The directions were issued after a meeting headed by Saad Rafique, which was attended by officials from the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA), the Airport Security Force (ASF), and the PIA.

    The aviation minister hopes that the upgrades will boost customer service standards.

  • Hate in our society: Man kills friend over transgender friendship

    Hate in our society: Man kills friend over transgender friendship

    A man in Hairpur shot dead his friend over his alleged friendship with a transgender person, Shahid Tabassum has reported for 24 News. As per details, the man shot his friend Hassan Shah in a guest house, after a heated exchange between both. The victim died on the spot and local police shifted the body to the morgue.

    The incident occurred in the premises of the Police Station City. The transgender person is yet to be identified.

    The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act of 2018 ensures basic rights for the people belonging to the marginalised community.

    The act was enacted in the year 2018 to guarantee transgenders equal rights to Education, basic health facilities , issuance of CNICs and passports and giving them a right to vote and contest elections.

  • Varun Dhawan opens up about crushing on Sania Mirza, reveals special moment with her

    Varun Dhawan opens up about crushing on Sania Mirza, reveals special moment with her

    Bollywood actor Varun Dhawan recently made a revelation about his former feelings for Tennis star Sania Mirza. The Judwaa 2 star stated that he had a huge crush Sania when he was a crew member on an ad film that featured Mirza.

    Varun recalled, “I was working for Mad Productions, Mukul Anand’s team and I was working on an ad that featured Sania Mirza. We had to get 300 shoes. I went to Linking Road and rented 300 shoes. I had this huge crush on Sania Mirza at the time. She asked me for an apple. And I got this apple.”

    He re-enacted the trembling he felt as he gave her mother the apple for Sania, and added, “I was giving her like I said Aunty… apple. Her mother thought I was crack or something. So she asked who told you to bring this apple?’ Luckily Sania came and said I want the apple. I got like ₹5000 for it, to get the shoes, and also maybe the apple.”

    As of today, Varun is married to Natsaha Dalal, whereas Sania Mirza is hitched to Pakistani veteran cricketer Shoaib Malik.

    Who is Natasha Dalal? How she and Varun Dhawan met? This is the complete timeline of their relationship | GQ India
    Shoaib Malik and Sania Mirza officially divorced now? - Daily Times

    The Badlapur star is currently promoting his horror-comedy film Bhediya, helmed by Amar Kaushik.

  • PM Shehbaz invites Turkey to be a part of CPEC

    PM Shehbaz invites Turkey to be a part of CPEC

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has invited Turkey to be a part of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), suggesting that it would be a “wonderful joint cooperation”.

    Shehbaz Sharif reached Istanbul, Turkey on Friday for his two-day visit where at the airport he was received by the city’s deputy governor and other senior officials of the Turkish government.

    Inauguration ceremony for the third of four Milgem Corvette ships

    Following this, the Premier spoke at an inauguration ceremony for the third of four Milgem Corvette ships for the Pakistan Navy at the Istanbul Shipyard.

    The premier said the two countries under Erdogan’s leadership have a “great chance” to move forward in this field.

    Regarding the ship’s launch, PM Shehbaz said Turkey and Pakistan are “deeply engaged” in promoting their defense capabilities for peace to ward off aggression. He said the ship’s launch is for defense purposes instead of aggression.

    The prime minister called on Turkey to further collaborate on their defense production capacities to ensure that peace was restored in the world, adding that the globe was facing “great tensions”.

    Invite Turkey to join Pakistan, China in CPEC

    PM Shehbaz also addressed a joint press stakeout along with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and invited Turkey to join the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to bring about regional prosperity, alleviate poverty and empower people through better education and health facilities.

    “I would suggest that let this be a cooperation between China, Pakistan and Turkey. This would be a wonderful joint cooperation. This is how we can meet the challenges of today,” the prime minister remarked.

    He said that he would be “happy” to discuss the matter with the Chinese leadership if Turkey moved ahead with the idea of joining CPEC.

    Pitch to Turkish entrepreneurs

    Addressing a meeting of the Pakistan-Turkey business council in Istanbul on Saturday, he told the investors that his government was resolved to cut down “very expensive” imports of oil and petroleum products, on which $27 billion was spent last year. “We simply can’t afford this.”

    “It’s not just a paper, or a talk, or a feasibility,” he said about the project today. “I, along with my colleagues, I am committed to this philosophy that we shall implement this scheme with in letter and spirit with our own resources, with investment from Turkey, from China, from Saudia Arabia, from Qatar, from the UAE (United Arab Emirates), from the United States of America, from wherever.”

    He assured the investors that the Pakistan government would create a conducive, enabling and friendly environment for them to invest in the project.

    He also asked the Pakistan ambassador in Istanbul to facilitate the Turkish investors in coming to Pakistan.

    ‘Being in Turkey feels like being home’: PM Shehbaz

    Before reaching Turkey, the premier said that he is leaving at the invitation of my brother Erdogan and that being in Turkey feels like being home.

    He tweeted: “Our bilateral ties have entered a new era of strategic partnership under the leadership of President Erdogan. We are on course to unpack the full untapped potential of relationship.”

  • ‘Stop policing’: Sajal Aly, Adnan Siddiqui’s ‘war of words’ gets intense

    ‘Stop policing’: Sajal Aly, Adnan Siddiqui’s ‘war of words’ gets intense

    Actors Adnan Siddiqui and Sajal Ali indulged in a war of words with each other after Adnan expressed his issue with Shehzad Roy’s ‘remixed’ version of the National Anthem.

    On Thursday, the renowned musician Shehzad Roy performed a ‘remixed’ version of the National Anthem at the 21st Lux Style Awards.

    The anthem, which Roy produced to mark the 75th anniversary of Pakistan’s creation, features the lyrics as the original, but some of the more modern instruments used to create the melody were replaced with traditional ones.

    For Siddiqui, the performance was underwhelming to the point that he found the new version disrespectful.

    “It (National Anthem) is always played in the original rendition at matches, tournaments, and other state functions. At a famous award show, artists, however, fiddle with the National symbol and possibly get away with it too. Personally, I find ‘remix’ of the Tarana disrespectful.”

    Star-actor Sajal Ali disagreed with Adnan’s stance and shared her opinion on Instagram. She said the new version of the National Anthem was healing, and that it ‘reflected the values of our Constitution and remained true to the original anthem’.

    “As a Pakistani and an artist, I found the diversity of my country reflected in this rendition of the national anthem beautiful. I found it healing,” Ali said.

    The famous VJ and actor, Anoushey Ashraf, agreed with the Gul-e-Rana actor and said, “I absolutely agree with you. Many countries have different renditions of the original anthem as long as it’s done within the frame of decency and acceptability.”

    She added, “This is just adding more diversity to it to accommodate everyone, it doesn’t change its essence or the feel. Never will.”

    Adnan’s series of posts for Sajal

    Earlier today, the Merey Paas Tum Ho actor responded to the criticism and advised Ali to revisit the post as she had missed his point.

    Taking to his Instagram, he shared a series of stories stating that he was not ‘throwing shade on the “ethnicity” of the artists involved or on anyone’s patriotism.

    In one of the stories, he tagged the actor and reminded her how “there is a protocol to be followed for national symbols, the respect accorded to them much so that the first alphabets of national symbols are written in upper case.”

    “What is next because we are creative and should celebrate diversity? Hoist the National Flag upside down and design our own version of the emblem?” He added.

    The actors have worked together in a Bollywood movie Mom, alongside late Indian actor Sridevi.

  • PTI marches towards Islamabad for ‘Haqeeqi Azadi’

    PTI marches towards Islamabad for ‘Haqeeqi Azadi’

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan said that there is a “threat to his life” but he is coming to Rawalpindi for the nation despite the injury.

    “My nation will come to Pindi for me,” a tweet posted from PTI’s official account quoted Khan as saying.

    Islamabad Police shares traffic update

    PTI leaders tweets on march

  • Will boycott ICC World Cup 2023 in India if it refuses to come to Pakistan for Asia Cup: Ramiz Raja

    Will boycott ICC World Cup 2023 in India if it refuses to come to Pakistan for Asia Cup: Ramiz Raja

    Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Ramiz Raja, has said that Pakistan will boycott the ICC World Cup 2023 if India refuses to visit Pakistan for the upcoming Asia Cup.

    “Who will watch the World Cup in India without Pakistan?” Raja. “We are very clear, if they don’t come to play in the Asia Cup here, we won’t go there for the World Cup,” the PCB chief added.

    Earlier, this year in October, Jay Shah, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president who is also secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), said that the Indian cricket team will not travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup next year.

    “The Asia Cup 2023 will be held at a neutral venue,” Shah told the media after a BCCI annual general meeting. “It’s the government which decides the permission of our team visiting Pakistan so we won’t comment on that but for the 2023 Asia Cup, it is decided that the tournament will be held at a neutral venue.”

    “I am saying this as ACC President. We [India] can’t go there [to Pakistan], they can’t come here. In the past also, the Asia Cup has been played at a neutral venue,” he said.
    Prior to the ICC Cricket World Cup in India, which is slated for October and November 2023, Pakistan will host the 50-over Asia Cup. India last travelled to Pakistan in 2008 for the Asia Cup .

  • Joy for Joyland: SHC dismisses plea seeking ban on film

    Joy for Joyland: SHC dismisses plea seeking ban on film

    The Sindh High Court has dismissed a plea requesting ban on the movie Joyland, Naeem Sahoutara reports for Dawn.

    The petitioner requested a ban on the movie, stating that the movie depicts a relationship between a married man and a transgender woman, and that the plot is against the Constitution and Islamic principles.

    The bench was headed by Chief Justice Ahmed Ali M Shaikh.

    “In our view, where a cinematic work has passed through the censors, who have examined its content and cleared it for release with an appropriate certification, an individual cannot be allowed to trump that decision through a court proceeding based on his conception of morality. Indeed, it is not the function of the Court under Article 199 to make a moral judgment so as to curtail the freedom of speech and expression of a filmmaker, as safeguarded under Article 19 of the Constitution,” stated the detailed order passed by a division bench.

    “On the contrary, the default position of the Court under Article 199 ought to be that of fully safeguarding the fundamental right by giving as expensive an interpretation to Article 19 as possible, and in that event of a restriction being imposed by the Board or any other authority that may be competent in that regard, testing the reasonableness of that restriction stringently, so as to ensure that the same is “reasonable” in the strictest conceivable sense.”

    “Looking to the matter at hand, we are confident that Islam, being the great global religion that it is, is strong enough to withstand a cinematic work portraying a purely fictional account of a relationship humanizing a transgender character, and are equally sanguine that our society is not so weak as to crumble as a consequence,” the order stated.

  • ‘Come back to the parliament for Pakistan’s progress’: Sanaullah tells Khan

    ‘Come back to the parliament for Pakistan’s progress’: Sanaullah tells Khan

    Interior Minister Rana Sanullah has asked Imran Khan, the Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to come back to the parliament so that the “country can move forward”.

    “If you don’t do this, you will be responsible for everything including inflation, economic turmoil and political turmoil. Stop being stubborn and come do politics instead,” he asserted at a press conference on Friday in Islamabad.

    Sanaullah also said that when politicians sit together, deadlocks are broken and decisions are changed.

    “I’ve seen my leaders amend their decisions after arguments and discussions,” he remarked, in what was seen as a government effort to offer an olive branch to Imran Khan.

    ‘There is a threat’: Sanaullah advises Khan to postpone long march headed to Rawalpindi on Nov 26

    Sanullah also advised Khan to postpone his party’s long march in Rawalpindi on November 26 (Friday).

    “Imran Khan should have delayed this march but he is stubborn and still wants to come to Rawalpindi.

    “I reviewed a meeting and all intelligence agencies have alerted me that any terrorist outfit can take advantage of this march. There is a threat to Imran himself,” he told the members of the press.

    Khan won’t get an election date from Rawalpindi: Sanaullah

    Sanaullah also stressed that Khan won’t get a date for fresh elections from Rawalpindi, where the General Headquarters of the armed forces is located.

    “I want to tell Imran Khan sahab that there is no purpose for this long march now. You say that you are coming to Rawalpindi for an election date. Imran Khan, you won’t get a date for elections now. The establishment won’t give you an election date […] if someone had to give in to your blackmailing, you would have a date […] but the establishment as an institution is standing firm on the decision that it won’t step out of its constitutional role,” Sanaullah emphasized.

    He further said that if Imran wanted a date for elections he should “become a politician” and meet his political opponents. “Meet Zardari, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Akhtar Mengal, Khalid Magsi, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui […] discuss the elections with them […] you can even meet Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif, they won’t refuse,” he advised the former Prime Minister.