Category: Uncategorized

  • Sadaf Kanwal says she always wanted an intimate wedding

    Sadaf Kanwal says she always wanted an intimate wedding

    Sadaf Kanwal and Shahroz Sabzwari’s wedding was the talk of the town when it happened back in May. While the couple did not share many details from the wedding, Sadaf in a recent interview said that she was very happy with the way everything turned out, adding that she always wanted an intimate and simple wedding.

    “What’s the point of feeding so many people only to have them complain later,” laughed the model, when asked how she felt about her wedding given that it happened during a pandemic, without the regular festivities.

    Adding to her comments, Sabzwari said: “We tied the knot in a minimal setting, as have other several renowned personalities across the world, with a presence of 70 to 80 people only. It had nothing to do with the lockdown.”

    Shahroz also revealed that the food at their wedding was lavish because his mother is very particular about food and rakh rakhao.

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    When asked how they dealt with the hate that came their way, the couple said that the trolling never really bothered them.

    “Our elders shared some very wise words with us,” said Shahroz. “Woh qafla kabhi apni manzil nahi pohancha, jis nay ruk ruk kay har bhonkay kuttay ko pathar maara ho (A procession which stops and throws stones at every barking dog, never makes it to its destination).”

    Read more – Shahroz Sabzwari lashes out, challenges those pointing fingers to prove his infidelity

    “We laugh at all the hatred; it had no impact on us,” said Sadaf. “Do you think, now that you are looking at me, that I have been affected? I have a loving husband so these things do not affect me. I really don’t care about the backlash that we received on our wedding since such incidents have also happened in the past. And with a lot of people.”

    Sadaf added: “Maybe they should send more hate my way so that all my sins are washed away.”

    In the same interview, Sadaf said that she will not be doing any more item songs in the future because she now has a big family to consider.

    “I have a big family and thus I want to be vigilant,” said the model.

    Meanwhile, the couple is excited about their first project together – a telefilm titled Na Ghar Ka Na Ghaat Ka scheduled to air on Eid ul Azha.

  • Quran complex to be set up in Islamabad

    Quran complex to be set up in Islamabad

    Minister for Religious Affairs, Pir Noor-ul-Haq Qadri has announced that the government is planning to build a Qur’an complex in Islamabad to preserve historical manuscripts of the Muslim scripture.

    According to Radio Pakistan, Qadri revealed the government’s plans while talking to the media during his visit to an exhibition of historical manuscripts of Holy Quran in the Federal capital.

    The minister also shared that the government is encouraging such activities and is working towards publishing a translation of the Holy Quran acceptable to all school of thoughts.

    Read more – Space museum to be set up in Islamabad

    He added that the publishing of Holy Quran on papers used in printing newspapers has been banned.

  • ‘Tamatar lay aao’: Shoe garland for Zartaj Gul upon return to constituency after over a year

    Minister of State for Climate Change Zartaj Gul on Saturday was received by agitated constituents who reportedly forced her to leave before she could continue with her agenda of addressing them, while a shoe garland was also placed on an inauguration plaque bearing her name.

    According to media reports, the minister, who was visiting the constituency after over a year, was not allowed by the agitated constituents in Fort Monroe to sit with them or deliver her address.

    “‘Tamatar lay aao [bring the tomatoes]’ they shouted after which the police escorted her [Gul] away,” a reporter affiliated with GNN said, adding that the constituents also raised slogans against the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

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    Sharing details of the shoe garland, he said it was placed on an inauguration plaque bearing the minister’s name in the Choti Bāla town of Dera Ghazi Khan.

    “This is not the first time a representative of the people has been treated like this by the locals for returning to the constituency after a long time,” the reporter maintained, adding that earlier a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker from Dera Ghazi Khan, Jamal Leghari, also had to face embarrassment upon his return.

    Gul has been a member of the National Assembly since August 2018 and is the first woman to be elected to the parliament from the mainly conservative Dera Ghazi Khan area of Punjab.

  • Bushra Ansari apologises for lashing out at fan

    Bushra Ansari apologises for lashing out at fan

    Late last week, Bushra Ansari had come under fire for lashing out and wishing death upon a fan who criticised her on-going drama Zebaish.

    Though Ansari later deleted her comments, she continued to receive criticism. Following the backlash, Bushra released an official statement in which she apologised to the person in question and other fans for her comments and outrage.

    “Artists, writers, directors and producers are creative people who put a lot of heart and soul into their work. In a way, their project becomes like a child for them that they create with love for their audience,” wrote Bushra. “They work night and day, in heat and in sickness to make these productions for the screen. I am sure you can understand if someone ridicules your work, it can hurt your feelings. I believe that everyone has a right to like or dislike our work, but language is important.”

    She continued, “I realise that last week, I overreacted and wrote harsh words on Instagram. In a moment, I realised my mistake and deleted it, but in the time of social media, it became a tamasha and sadly spread like fire.”

    “The fact is my words were too harsh and I did not handle my anger well,” said the actor.

    Concluding her statement, Bushra said: “In my performances and words, I have always tried to uphold our values. And in the same manner, I want to show my fans and younger generation that I am accepting my mistake. We have to be good role models for our youth so our society and values continue to improve.”

    Bushra had lashed out at Lubna Faryad, who has gained acclaim as the Amma who reviews dramas on the digital media platform Galaxy Lollywood. In a review Amma had criticised Zebaish following which Bushra lashed out at Amma, referring to her as “cheap low-class person”.

    Bushra had used very harsh words against Amma, remarking “They are the coronas in our lives. Allah will finish them InshaAllah.”

  • UK to Pakistan fares increase by threefold after PIA ban

    UK to Pakistan fares increase by threefold after PIA ban

    Ticket prices for flights to Pakistan from the United Kingdom have increased three times after Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) was banned from entering three destinations in the UK. PIA is also facing a six months ban from the European Union and a suspension on all types of flights from the United States.

    The cost of a return flight from London, Manchester, and Birmingham to Lahore, Islamabad, and Karachi was previously £500-650 (Rs 105053-136568), but after PIA was barred from operating by the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority, ticket prices have tripled and are now £1,500-2,700 (Rs 315,158-567,284), according to a report in Geo News.

     According to Skyscanner, a major travel website, the cheapest return ticket from London to Lahore is being offered by Turkish Airlines which costs a whopping £1,445 (almost Rs300,000). British Airways, which just started operating in Pakistan, is offering the same flight for over £2,000 that would cost the passenger over Rs400,000.

    The return tickets from the UK to Pakistan offered by Qatar Airways and Emirates cost over £2,500 (Rs 525,262) which is a record price for a return ticket. Another flight by Qatar Airways and British Airways costs £2,796 (587,453).

    This price hike came after Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan claimed that around one-third of Pakistani pilots had allegedly fake licenses. The news created panic across the world, leading to a ban on PIA by certain states and countries.

  • Honda City in Pakistan vs in India; hardly any price difference but the comparison will blow your mind

    Honda Cars India has revealed all upgraded specs of 6th-generation City in India which will come in both petrol and diesel engine, has more technological features, is larger as compared to its predecessors and is due to hit the roads next month.

    Amid a sense of buzz that has returned to the rather sedate sedan segment in India, car enthusiasts in Pakistan are also keeping an earnest eye out as the 6th-generation offers a slew of upgrades — both in terms of style and drive capabilities, Hindustan Times reported.

    Honda City is quite a popular model in Pakistan but the car has not received much in terms of facelifts and upgrades over the last few years. In a recent comparison between the upcoming City in India and the existing model doing the miles in Pakistan, PakWheels pointed out the glaring differences while also highlighting that the price difference is next to negligible.

    According to the automotive blog, the existing City in the country lacks some of the most basic features that are now almost standard in cars sitting in a much lower segment in the Indian market, as well as in the previous generation City there. The absence of airbags, cruise control, LED headlights, LED taillights, remote entry, rear AC vents, one-touch sunroof are some of the key features that the model in Pakistan skips altogether. Quite obviously then, the City in Pakistan also does not have new features that the sixth-generation model incorporates like Lane Watch camera, Alexa compatibility and Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TMPS) display.

    While Honda Cars India will officially launch the new City on July 15, Honda Atlas Cars is not expected to launch it in Pakistan anytime before 2021. And even when launched, the car could be priced a lot more than its Indian counterpart because of factors such as vastly different demand scales, production scales and tax structuring etc.

  • Imran announces Rs30 billion subsidy for Naya Pakistan housing

    Imran announces Rs30 billion subsidy for Naya Pakistan housing

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has announced Rs30 billion in subsidy for his government’s flagship Naya Pakistan housing scheme project in line with helping the underprivileged class build their own homes.

    Addressing the nation after chairing a meeting of the National Coordination Committee on Housing, Construction, and Development, PM Imran on Friday said the scheme was aimed at the “working class, the welder, the small shop owner, who do not have a lot of money to build their own houses”.

    “The goal of the Naya Pakistan housing scheme was to construct houses for this strata of the society, which doesn’t have cash.”

    “We faced many hindrances while launching the scheme due to some existing legislation, such as the foreclosure law, which allows banks not to lend out money without a confirmation of repayment.”

    “[However] despite a lot of hurdles, we were successful in passing the law for Pakistan, which is now implemented around the world,” he said.

    The prime minister also spoke of the construction sector, saying it faced a lot of obstacles, but that the NCC had worked on formulating policies for its revival.

    “We have decided to revive our economy with housing and construction industry so that people can get jobs and we can generate revenue in times of global recession and pandemic,” he noted.

    “I, myself, will preside this meeting every week to supervise the working and progress of the committee regarding the Naya Pakistan housing scheme.”

    “We only have time till December 31 to provide incentives to the construction industry,” he added.

    PM Imran explained that under the Naya Pakistan housing scheme, Rs30 billion had been allocated as a subsidy, which would translate into Rs300,000 for each of the 100,000 households during the first phase of the programme.

    A 5% interest is levied on a five-marla house and 7% for 10-marla, he noted. “We have also directed the SBP [State Bank of Pakistan] to keep 5% of the portfolio for the construction industry, which is calculated to be Rs330 billion,” he said.

  • A.R. Rahman weaves his magic in the title track of ‘Dil Bechara’

    A.R. Rahman weaves his magic in the title track of ‘Dil Bechara’

    Music maestro A.R. Rehman has weaved his magic, yet again, in the title track of Dil Bechara, which also happens to be Sushant Singh Rajput’s swansong (the final performance or activity of a person’s career). Rajput’s untimely demise by suicide on June 14, broke hearts across the world.

    Read more – Trailer of Sushant Singh Rajput’s last film ‘Dil Bechara’ trends at number one on YouTube Pakistan

    As the film gears up to stream on July 24, the makers of the film and the streaming platform are doing all they can to honour Sushant’s memory and make this film a heartwarming experience for this fans. When the trailer of the film released earlier this week, it set a new YouTube record by becoming the most-liked trailer ever in 24 hours – with 6.4 million likes – beating Hollywood blockbuster Avengers: Endgame. It also garnered more than 30 million views within 24 hours of being released besides also receiving millions of views on other social media platforms including Facebook and Instagram.

    The title track of the film, also titled Dil Bechara, has been composed, produced, arranged and sung by Rahman while the lyrics have been penned by Amitabh Bhattacharya. The tune has been composed with Rahman’s signature style and will at some point remind you of his other superhit song: Masakali from the Abhishek Bachchan-Sonam Kapoor starrer Delhi 6. It is infectious and you will definitely find yourself humming it.

    Talking about the song and the rest of the album, Rahman said: “It was a great experience collaborating with Mukesh [the director] on this film; his enthusiasm is infectious. This whole album is carefully curated because the film has so much heart, and now, memories of Sushant. It was a pleasure to work with lyricist Amitabh Bhattacharya on this soundtrack of love. The songs are eclectic and feature an amazing line-up of India’s top singers and musicians. I hope you will like the album.”

    The Oscar and Grammy-winning Indian composer added that all the music he has worked on for the film is filled with memories of late actor.

    The song has been choreographed by Farah Khan, who revealed that Sushant shot the entire song in one take. Sushant was a gifted dancer and the actor perfectly demonstrated his skills in the song with fluid movements and flexibility.

    Farah also shared why this song was special for her.

    “This song is particularly close to me because it was the first time I was choreographing Sushant,” said the award-winning choreographer. “We were friends for a long time but never worked together. I had also promised Mukesh that when he makes his directorial debut I would do a song for him.”

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    Chabbra also shared that Farah did not charge a penny for her services.

    Though the makers of the film announced that they will only be releasing the title track on June 10, they later dropped the entire music album of the movie. Unfortunately, it is not available to stream in Pakistan.

    Dil Bechara, which also stars Sanjana Sanghi, is the official Hindi remake of 2014 Hollywood romantic drama The Fault in our Stars. It has been directed by renowned casting director Mukesh Chhabra, who makes his directorial debut with the film.

    The film is slated to release digitally on July 24 on Disney+ Hotstar. As a tribute to the late actor, the film will be made available to everyone including non-subscribers. It was initially scheduled to release on May 8 but due to the coronavirus pandemic, its release was pushed.

  • Did COVID-19 peak in Pakistan in June?

    Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (PM) on Health Dr Zafar Mirza on July 1 said that the number of coronavirus cases was rapidly increasing by mid-June but the country was now in a better position than it was two weeks ago in the continuing battle against COVID-19.

    “The ratio of confirmed infections has gone down from 22% to 15% while the number of suspected cases has also decreased,” the premier’s aide said in an interview, adding that the rate of fatalities was also lower than before.

    READ: Govt is grossly under-reporting coronavirus deaths and infections: PM’s task force head

    Dr Mirza maintained that the government was to now determine over the next couple of days if Pakistan had passed the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak or was still only heading towards it. “If the situation remains stable in the coming days and the number of coronavirus cases continues to decrease, it would be good news for us.”    

    While the number of coronavirus cases in Pakistan is steadily declining amid selective lockdowns across the country and an increase in the number of recovered patients, it is not necessarily due to a decline in the rate of infections and an alleged lower testing rate could be the actual reason.

    However, according to official numbers, in June, a total of 140,726 confirmed cases of coronavirus were reported in Pakistan with at least 2,804 deaths.

    The second week of the said month proved to be the worst in terms of infections as 40,604 were reported. The third week was the most deadly as at least 856 people lost their lives to the virus.

    The last week of June saw 24,324 infections while the number of fatalities stood at 591 — 40 more than those recorded in the first week of the same month.

    It merits a mention that while PM Imran Khan and some members of his team, including senior doctors and other health experts, seem to believe that the virus peaked in Pakistan, especially in Punjab, during the second week of June and the curve has now started to flatten, Pakistan on Friday overtook Italy to become the 11th worst affected country from COVID-19.

  • Asim Azhar responds to plagiarism allegations

    Asim Azhar responds to plagiarism allegations

    Not too long ago, Asim Azhar was celebrating 100 million views on YouTube on his song Jo Tu Na Mila and now the same song is embroiled in a plagiarism controversy.

    According to social media users, Jo Tu Na Mila has been loosely copied from Studio Ghibli’s Kiki’s Delivery Service. Kiki’s Delivery Service is a 1989 Japanese animated film about a young witch, Kiki, who moves to a new town and uses her flying ability to earn a living. The soundtrack of the anime was composed by Joe Hisaishi.

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    https://twitter.com/notsoblondegirl/status/1281238555365425162?s=20

    After the allegations surfaced, Asim while speaking to a local media publication said that the rights for the music had been acquired through legal means.

    “That part of the song has been sampled through proper and legal means under Universal Music India, who released the song,” he said, adding, “Such a big company won’t let such a big release go just like that.”

    It is pertinent to mention here that the song’s music in the video is licensed to UMG (on behalf of Universal Music India).

    Jo Tu Na Mila is a love ballad which talks about unrequited love. The song, which features Iqra Aziz, has been composed and sung by Asim while the lyrics have been penned by Kunaal Vermaa.

    Listen to the song here: