China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority Chairperson Lt Gen (r) Asim Saleem Bajwa has announced the launch of a three-month internship aimed at human and social development.
In a series of tweets, Bajwa said in the spirit of youth empowerment, CPEC has offered the youth an opportunity to develop skills and experiences that would allow the country to grow and prosper in the future.
Happy to launch #CPEC Internship:It’s an inclusive,national project,our engine of growth.Human/social development is our focus.With 60% youth pop,a tremendous opportunity exists to develop young leaders with max productivity vis other regional economies- 1/2 #CPECMakingProgress
In the spirit of Youth empowerment/to develop young leaders,We announce to offer an opportunity to you to join #CPEC specific internship for 3 months-brochure for first internship of series attached,all eligible Pakistanis can apply.2/2 #CPECMakingProgresspic.twitter.com/xPjbIdzy7Q
With 60 per cent of the population falling under the youth category, a tremendous opportunity exists to develop young leaders with maximum productivity vis-à-vis other regional economies, he said.
The initiative has been well-received by Twitterati.
At least 513 animals are reported to have gone “missing” from Islamabad’s Marghazar Zoo.
According to a report in The Express Tribune, the Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation (IMC), which was managing the zoo in July 2019, in a report had stated that there were a total of 917 animals of and birds of different species present at the zoo at the time. In May, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) handed over the zoo’s management to the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) with directions to shift the animals in the zoo to shelters.
Following the IHC’s orders, the handover documents dated July 16, 2020, and signed by the Zoo Deputy Director Dr Bilal Khilji, Ministry of Climate Change Biodiversity Director Naeem Ashraf Raja and the takeover authority, IWMB Chairman Dr Anisur Rehman, showed that only 404 animals have been handed over to the new management.
A comparative analysis of the reports showed that the numbers of animals in both reports are different. While some animals decreased in numbers or went missing, others such as the Barking Deer or Hog Deer showed an increase.
As per the details available, the population of the spotted deer fell from 12 to 11 in a year, while the Chinkara Gazelle decreased from seven to three. Similarly, the Black Buck Gazelle fell from four to three, Urials from 11 to four, Nilgai (Blue Bull) from 18 to 16, Zebras from five to four, Mallard Ducks from 108 to 74 and Rose Ringed Parakeet from 136 to 30.
Meanwhile, common doves, which were counted at 255 last year, completely disappeared from the handover document.
While it is not clear as to what happened to these missing animals, a report quoting sources said that the animals have either died or have been stolen.
A few weeks earlier, the Islamabad Zoo’s management had come under fire for burning two lions to death while attempting to force them out of their cage so they could be transported to a sanctuary in Lahore. Animals at the zoo are being relocated to temporary sanctuaries after the IHC while hearing Kaavan’s case, ruled that the zoo is not fit enough for them and lacks the necessary facilities.
Step aside folks, Pakistan has truly arrived at the web series front with Churails. Though this is not the first original web series to come out of Pakistan, it is indeed the one that has put us on the map and from this point onwards, there is no looking back.
Created and directed by Cake director, Asim Abbasi, Churails features Sarwat Gilani, Yasra Rizvi, Nimra Bucha and Meharbano as the four churails (witches) who are here to shake things up. Bakhtawar Mazhar, Sameena Nazir, Zara Khan, Mareeha Safdar, Amtul Baweja, Meher Jaffri and Shabana Hassan play the chosen seven while the male leads include Omair Rana, Kashif Hussain, Fawad Khan and Sarmed Aftab. There are plenty of cameos in the series, some of which are bound to surprise you and keep you hooked even more.
The series is about four women from completely different backgrounds come together one rainy night and decide that they have suffered enough at the hands of the men in their life. They come up with the idea of setting up a detective agency under the guise of a hijab and burqa store with the aim to get justice their way. They then set up an army of baby churails – the Chosen Seven – and train them to carry out their spying and sleuthing missions. The interesting bit is that their team is not all women – their army also consists of two men, one of whom is a hacker. All is going well for the Churails until of their own goes missing and the women come face to face with the powerful men of the city.
Churails has been wonderfully directed and presented. I like how the director made sure to strike a balance. Contrary to popular belief, the series is not anti-men or ‘fahash (vulgar)’ from any angle – it aims to challenge the system of patriarchy and break stereotypes surrounding outspoken and confident women. While the series shows plenty of ‘bad’ men, on the other end it shows decent men also, who support the women around them. Similarly, while they show mazloom and oppressed women, they also show women who support the system and enable the men around them. At the same time, I also liked how Asim cleverly combined fiction with reality. While the concept of Churails and all-women superhero team is something we all wish for, it is unrealistic at the end of the day. However, the situations the Churails find themselves in are very much real and oftentimes uncomfortable.
Perhaps the strongest part of the whole series were the performances, cinematography and music. The performances were absolutely phenomenal – it was like each role was written with the actor in mind – whether it was Sarwat as Sara ‘the perfect wife’ or Yasra as the hippie wedding planner Jugnu or Meharbano as Zubaida the young girl aspiring to be a boxer, each actor put forward their best foot. As for Nimra Bucha, she was on another level as Batool. She spoke little and had limited dialogues but the way she communicated with her eyes and expressions was just brilliant. The male actors also deserve a round of applause, especially Hussain as Shams and Aftab as Dilbar. Not only were they great in their roles, but their characters were also likeable. Omair Rana was fantastic as the manipulative politician and Sara’s husband Jamil as were the Chosen Seven.
Mo Azmi is a master of his craft and with Churails, he did his thing with finesse. He shot each frame meticulously, paying attention to detail, because of which the entire show was so aesthetically pleasing. The way he shot the frames in which the faces weren’t showing was simply mind-blowing. I particularly liked how Azmi played with lights to create an impact. The music of the series was also well-thought-out and each track and sound perfectly complemented the mood of the scene and added depth and character. Kudos to the music director for using music so deftly.
Production value of the series was also high with beautiful sets and chic costumes. I particularly loved Sara’s wardrobe – so glamourous.
Churails HQ
While everything seems to be going right with the series otherwise, the one department which was I felt was a little weak was the editing, which would have been crisper. Each episode is approximately one hour long. Most web series have 45-minute episodes. Keeping that in mind, I do wish the episodes were a tad bit shorter. However, given how much I enjoyed the series, I’m willing to overlook this.
Shams
Overall the show is fun, fierce and full of sass. Asim attempted to shake things up with his series and I think he definitely did because these feisty and badass ‘Churails’ are here to stay. I would highly recommend everyone, especially all women to watch the series because I’m pretty sure you all will thoroughly enjoy it.
Churails is currently streaming on Zee5, which is accessible in Pakistan. The service operates similarly to Netflix and Amazon Prime and requires a subscription. While the subscription is usually Rs 2500/year, they are currently offering a deal through which you can get the subscription for Rs 1500 for the whole year. Payment can be done via a credit card.
A large group of Pakistani women in media have released a joint statement about organised trolling, abuse and harassment they face online. The statement says, “Vicious attacks through social media are being directed at women journalists and commentators in Pakistan, making it incredibly difficult for them to carry out their professional duties.”
The statement further says that online attacks are instigated by government officials and then amplified by a large number of Twitter accounts, which declare their affiliation to the ruling party.
They asked the government to restrain its members from repeatedly targeting women in the media, send out a clear message to all party members, supporters and followers, to desist from launching these attacks, whether directly or indirectly and, hold all such individuals within the government accountable and take action against them. #AttacksWontSilenceUs, the hashtag used by the women who released the statement, trended at No 1 on Twitter.
Targeting women in media is easy as there are only about five percent of women who are journalists in Pakistan. They not only face vile abuse related to their gender, but they also face a barrage of allegations that they take ‘lifafa’ or are paid by Opposition parties. These bullying tactics are used to either silence them and/or discredit them. Last year, a report titled ‘Hostile Bytes – a study of online violence against women journalists’ by Media Matters for Democracy (MMfD) said that 95 percent of women journalists feel online violence has an impact on their professional choices, while 77 percent self-censor as a way to counter online violence. In the recent statement by women media practitioners, self-censorship was identified as a problem as well as hacking attempts of their social media accounts. The mental toll it must take on those who are at the receiving end of this constant abuse is another factor that leads to self-censorship.
Targeting women is a worldwide phenomenon. In neighbouring India, the trend is quite similar. Amnesty International published a report earlier this year, which said that women politicians in India face a shocking scale of abuse on Twitter. “Women are targeted with abuse online not just for their opinions – but also for various identities, such as gender, religion, caste, and marital status.” It has also been seen how women journalists who do not toe the official government line in India are viciously trolled by the ‘Modi Bhakts’ on social media platforms, especially Twitter.
The National Assembly’s Human Rights Committee has invited women media practitioners who released the statement to come and highlight their issues in a meeting on Tuesday. Federal Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari also lent her support to the women media practitioners in her tweets. It is important that these issues are raised at the right platforms so that Pakistani online spaces can be safe for women from all spheres of life. A civil discourse is the need of the hour instead of online abuse. We hope that those who are behind such campaigns can actually get past their political differences and ensure that online spaces are used for meaningful discourse instead of bullying.
A test trial of double Decker bus service was conducted in Rawalpindi and Islamabad on the special orders of Chief Minister Punjab Usman Buzdar.
According to details, the Punjab Tourism Development Corporation with the coordination of Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) initiated a test drive of double-decker bus service on the occasion of Independence Day, celebrated across Pakistan yesterday.
The bus service is expected to start next week in twin cities. The goal of the service is to promote tourism, to invite local and foreign tourists to enjoy the culture and scenery of the twin cities.
Advisor to CM Punjab for Horticulture and Tourism Asif Mehmood said, “The Tourism Development Corporation Punjab (TDCP) will operate the buses,” adding the construction work of the main terminal at Allama Iqbal Park double road is now in the final stage.
At first, two buses will be operated and local people can benefit from this plan, he added.
In Islamabad, the tourists can visit different tourist spots including Faisal Mosque, Marghrzar Zoo, Daman-e-Koh, Constitution Avenue, Lok Virsa, Pakistan Museum of Natural History and Shakarparian through this bus service.
Sarwat Gilani has revealed that she took inspiration from Meryl Streep’s character in The Devil Wears Prada for her character in Churails. Sarwat plays a lawyer turned trophy wife Sara in the series.
In a recent interview with an Indian media outlet, Gilani shared: “In TV and films, you have to emote a lot for the audience to feel the pain or happiness but for the web it had to be altered to zero. I had to unlearn and start new. In The Devil Wears Prada, Streep doesn’t say much but her aura is so powerful. I even got inspired by Angelina’s [Jolie] film Mr and Mrs Smith, I wanted to take that subtleness.”
She added, “Basically, I adapted the subtleness of these strong personalities in my character.”
Talking further about the show, Gilani said that director Asim Abbasi’s aim was to break the stereotype that a woman who steps out of the house is bad and the one who stays home and takes care of the house in good. She said Pakistani dramas are often unable to portray women like they are and end up sugarcoating them and presenting an unrealistic character.
“The stories are fictional. There is not much reality attached to it, although we see some stories in the news every day. Like a guy throwing acid on a woman because she refused to marry him. But we don’t want to talk about it in the entertainment sector, we want to sugarcoat the story. Asim wanted to break this,” said the actor.
“In Churails we didn’t need a man to rescue a woman, we wanted to show that a woman can stand for herself and uplift other women going through problems.”
Meanwhile, Gilani is thrilled about the response they are getting for Churails.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CD3gppMD2bn/
Created and directed by Cake director Asim Abbasi, Churails is now streaming on ZEE5. The series also features Yasra Rizvi, Nimra Bucha, Omair Rana and Meharbano in the lead roles.
We just found out that there exists a desi version of FRIENDS made by ZeeTv. Episodes of the desi version titled ‘HELLO FRIENDS‘ are on YouTube and it is not only unfunny but also unoriginal because the makers copied each and every scene and the exact dialogues from the original. Needless to Friends fans were outraged with this and some even called it a bigger pandemic than COVID-19.
A Twitter user posted a video of its opening scene on the microblogging site and people think it was not a good idea to make a desi version of the super hit show.
experts are saying coronavirus is the worst pandemic of our time? thats cute. i think ur forgetting about summer of 1999 when the entire executive board of https://t.co/bq6CuYEvK4 did acid and decided to make desi Friends pic.twitter.com/KgY50doG87
experts are saying coronavirus is the worst pandemic of our time? thats cute. i think ur forgetting about summer of 1999 when the entire executive board of https://t.co/bq6CuYEvK4 did acid and decided to make desi Friends pic.twitter.com/KgY50doG87
I don’t know what’s more cringe. That central perk is a shady bar, Ross is played by Nikhil Chinappa, Rachel came in wearing god knows what or that Chandler is played by Cyrus I need to bathe to get this cringe off me
The spread of coronavirus in Pakistan has decreased significantly. In June, Pakistan ranked 12th on the list of the countries hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, but within two months, it has improved its ranking with a drop in both the number of daily infections and fatalities.
Not only the drop but anti-corona efforts of Pakistan’s government which led to it are being praised internationally as president-elect of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Volkan Bozkir, has termed the same a “good example for the world to follow”.
The decline in COVID-19 cases has been followed by the government allowing to reopen all sectors that had been closed for months, excluding educational institutions and marriage halls. The two are likely to reopen on September 15, after a final review by authorities concerned on September 7.
While it’s still difficult to estimate the economic losses Pakistan suffered due to the global pandemic, it can be said that people associated with educational institutions, wedding halls, cinemas and restaurants were more vulnerable amid lockdowns.
EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS:
Pakistan’s 317,328 educational institutions have remained closed for the past six months and as a result, more than 40 million students are suffering. Teachers, on the other hand, and other staffers have no source of income. While many have been sacked by private institutions, some private school owners such as Muhammad Danish from Karachi, who had been running the school for the past 14 years, has now been forced to set up a biryani stall at his own school.
While reopening of the institutions still is to be decided upon, experts believe it will be hard to bounce back from the current situation and that with extra precautions.
WEDDING INDUSTRY:
As the second most-affected industry remains wedding, marriage halls have been served a severe blow. According to Punjab Marriage Halls Association President Khalid Idrees, as many as 12,000 marriage halls run the households of over four million staffers and management members in Punjab alone, all of whom have been jobless since March.
Trends suggest that a number of people are awaiting the new wedding world order to once again resort to huge gatherings or continue shifting towards smaller, simpler functions.
RESTAURANT SECTOR:
Meanwhile, as the restaurant sector also remains affected by COVID-19, Arab News reported that 30% to 40% of restaurants in Lahore have shut down permanently.
Admin of popular food blog Foodies ‘R Us, Asad Sheikh, believes some of the government-issued guidelines for coronavirus prevention are beyond comprehension as the dine-in capacity of restaurants being reduced by 50% would affect sales and ultimately leave owners with no other option but to prefer managing takeaways.
CINEMAS & THEATRES:
In the case of another hard-hit industry, cinema and theatre owners are not yet ready to implement social distancing SOPs for coronavirus either and ensuring limited seating capacity.
While there are 160 cinemas in the country with almost 24,000 seating capacity, reopening to public at the cost of half their audiences would be unprofitable.
Momina Mustehsan and Muneeb Butt lashed out at Kangana Ranaut for “dragging” Pakistan into all her arguments.
“Why does Pakistan get dragged into all your arguments?” questioned Momina. “It serves no purpose but takes away from your mission to rightly get justice for SSR (Sushant Singh Rajput), fight nepotism, your own internal state politics and curb religious hatred and prejudice.”
“Justice can’t be achieved by propagating regional hatred,” she added.
Why does Pakistan get dragged into all ur arguments? ♀️ It serves no purpose, but takes away frm ur mission to rightly get justice for SSR, fight nepotism, ur own internal state politics & curb religious hatred & prejudice. Justice cant be achieved by propagating regional hatred https://t.co/vI4VkvalgW
Butt voiced a similar opinion, saying: “Why are they so obsessed with Pakistan?”
Why are they so obsessed with Pakistan their stupid media reflects the true image of their mentality, Zyada masla h Pakistan se tu bheju koi pilot Tea is ready. https://t.co/MXn9X6IWtH
Ranaut, who has been actively campaigning against the Bhatts including Alia and Mahesh and accusing them of driving Sushant Singh Rajput to suicide, in a recent tweet passed an anti-Pakistan statement in order to make her point against them. Kangana was objecting to Alia’s dialogue in her upcoming film Sadak 2 which is: “In guruo ki wajah se mainay kisi apne ko khoya hai.”
Nice observation, can they replace Guru with Maulavi and Kailash scandal with Macca scandal?Does Sadhus lynchings have something to do with these prejudices? Why Pankistani Pimps are allowed to spread religious hate and prejudices in Bharat? -KR #Sadak2#sadak2trailerhttps://t.co/cZUvqXftzu
— Kangana Ranaut (Modi Ka Parivar) (@KanganaTeam) August 12, 2020
Labelling someone as a “Pakistani tout” is nothing new and Indians often use this label to bring down someone whose point of view they don’t agree with.
Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has lauded Islamabad Inspector General (IG) Muhammad Amir Zulfiqar Khan over the ongoing operation against land grabbers and a significant reduction in crime rate in the federal capital, which was also highlighted by a report of the World Crime Index issued by the international organisation, Numbeo, earlier this year.
According to a statement from Islamabad police, the crime index decreased to 28.63 per cent in 2020 from 32.88 per cent last year. Islamabad was 232nd on the list earlier while it stands at 301 in the recent ranking of most vulnerable cities to crime in the world.
Its ranking is far better compared to Sydney, Berlin, Moscow, London, Paris and Shanghai, said the report issued after a survey of 374 cities of the world in January.
While the top cop had back then said that crime rate decreased in the capital as a result of an effective strategy, he has now briefed the premier on the same, after which he has been tasked to continue full-scale operation against the land mafia involved in land grabbing.
According to Information Minister Shibli Faraz, the police have retrieved 1,537 acre land from grabbers over Rs450 billion in Islamabad.
In addition to this, the capital has also witnessed a decline in crime up to 15 per cent.
