Of the stars who are happy with the airing of Diriliş: Ertuğrul on PTV, is Humaima Malick, who took to social media to say that the Turkish drama series is totally worth her 35 rupees.
Later when a journalist corrected her and said that PTV’s prices have increased to Rs 100, Humaima said that even that is “totally worth it for such quality content”.
“We need to support our national television to revive its brand,” wrote the actor.
100 rupees is totally worth it for such quality content. We need to support our national television to revive its brand. I love the @PTVHomeOfficial logo every time it comes on and so proud of our national channel and congratulate them on its revival https://t.co/tPLknJ8t4N
Meanwhile, Vasay Chaudhry was of the opinion that PTV should stop charging “those 35 rupees from every Pakistani’s electricity bill”.
I dont mind PTV airing Ertugrul & making millions or billions out of it but Now can they please Stop charging those 35 Rupees from every Pakistanis electricity bill…..every month…since god knows when ??
Set in 13th century Anatolia and based on the struggle of Ertuğrul Gazi, father of Osman I – the founder of the Ottoman dynasty, Diriliş: Ertuğrul has been trending in the country ever since its first episode aired on PTV Home. Pakistanis are loving the drama series and it has become a sensation in the country. According to PTV, 133.38 million people have watched the drama series from April 25- May 14. PTV’s YouTube channel has also registered an exponential rise in its viewership with 3.67 million subscribers and episodes trending every day on the social media platform.
In an exclusive interview with The Current, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Faisal Javed Khan revealed that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had gifted the drama series to Pakistan as a goodwill gesture.
Taliban have denied claims of joining Kashmiris’ freedom movement and attack New Delhi in retaliation against Indian atrocities under Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi’s regime that Pakistan and the international community fear is leading to the ethnic cleansing of the troubled valley’s majority Muslim community.
According to Hindustan Times, the militant group has underlined that the Taliban “do not interfere in internal affairs of other countries”, saying the statement published in the media about the group joining Jihad in Kashmir was wrong.
“The policy of the Islamic Emirate is clear that it does not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries.” Suhail Shaheen, the spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, as the political wing of Taliban calls itself, tweeted in Arabic.
— Suhail Shaheen. محمد سهیل شاهین (@suhailshaheen1) May 18, 2020
The clarification came after officials monitoring social media noted a spike in posts around claims that Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid had said it was impossible to be friends with India unless the Kashmir dispute was resolved. The spokesperson was also claimed to have said that the Taliban, after capturing power in Kabul, would also “capture Kashmir from infidels”.
Diplomats based in Kabul and Delhi said that the Taliban spokesperson’s clarification came after India worked the backchannels to confirm reports about the group’s approach to India, and on Jammu and Kashmir.
New Delhi was told that the social media posts were fake and did not reflect Taliban’s position.
But analysts have also underlined that Taliban comprises people holding different beliefs. For example, while the group has alleged deep linkages with the deep state of some countries, there are also some who favour an independent line.
Turkish actor Engin Altan Düzyatan, who plays the role of Ertuğrul in the hit Turkish series Diriliş: Ertuğrul, has sent his Eid greetings in a special message to his Pakistani fans on Eid-ul-Fitr.
In a video message, shared on PTV’s official Twitter handle, Engin thanks his Pakistani fans for all the love they have sent his way and for appreciating the show.
“I cannot thank you enough for the unimaginable love and incredible response you are giving to Ertuğrul Ghazi Urdu,” said Düzyatan. “I also would like to thank PTV for bringing Ertuğrul Ghazi to your home.”
Set in 13th century Anatolia and based on the struggle of Ertuğrul Gazi, father of Osman I – the founder of the Ottoman dynasty, Diriliş: Ertuğrul has been trending ever since its first episode aired on PTV Home. Pakistanis are loving the drama series and it has become a sensation in the country. According to the latest figures by PTV, 133.38 million people have watched the drama series from April 25- May 14. PTV’s YouTube channel has also registered an exponential rise in its viewership with 4 million subscribers and episodes trending every day on the social media platform.
In an exclusive interview with The Current, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Faisal Javed Khan revealed that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had gifted the drama series to Pakistan as a goodwill gesture.
Karachi-bound flight PK 8303 of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) from Lahore on Friday crashed in a residential area of the port city a bit over a minute away from the airport, and two days before Eid killing at least 97 people. Only two male passengers survived the crash.
Among those who lost their lives in the crash was model Zara Abid sending waves of grief in the fashion and entertainment industry, who lost one of their own.
Here are a few celebs who remembered Zara and shared their experiences and interactions with her:
Ayesha Omar
https://www.instagram.com/p/CAhxxIvjWCi/
Mehwish Hayat
I only met Zara Abid a couple of times. Loved her humility & her love for life. She had so much to achieve. Like all the others on the flight,a life extinguished b4 its time. My thoughts & prayers with her family as they’re with all the others who’ve lost a loved one.. R.I.P pic.twitter.com/95Jv9O21k6
A strong yet humble, sweet, down to earth human being, who was a bit shy but who cared about things that mattered passionately. We’ve lost one of our brightest stars on one of our darkest days. Gone too soon. May your light shine on forever. RIP #ZaraAbid#planecrashkarachipic.twitter.com/EmMZa7Ogis
As we struggle to deal with a global pandemic that has claimed over 1,100 lives in Pakistan alone, an inconsolable tragedy has hit us hard.
A PIA flight from Lahore to Karachi met a tragic fate yesterday. The ill-fated plane’s landing gear reportedly stopped working and when the pilot pulled it up for another round to try and resolve the issue, both its engines failed. The pilot tried to land again — this time in an area near the Jinnah International Airport, but due to the streets being narrow, it hit a mobile tower and crashed.
There were 91 passengers on board and eight crew members. Two passengers miraculously survived while the crew and the rest of the passengers did not make it. All bodies have been recovered and are now being identified through DNA samples, which may take some time. An investigation team has been constituted to probe the accident.
A total of 97 lives have been lost. Both young and old, men and women. Friday’s tragedy of PK8303 crash is something that shook everyone. Messages from around the world poured in — from Canadian PM Justin Trudeau to Indian PM Narendra Modi, world leaders paid their condolences. Our hearts go out to the families, friends and loved ones of those who lost their lives. Eid is usually a happy occasion but with coronavirus and this tragedy, it will be a somber affair in Pakistan this time around.
Pakistan does not have a good record of investigating plane accidents. We hope that there will be a thorough investigation to determine whether the health of the aircraft was satisfactory as well as its maintenance. Aircraft experts are perturbed that so many issues surfaced at the same time — from landing gear malfunctioning to engines that stopped working.
Those 97 lives cannot be brought back, but the least the state can do is honour those who lost their lives, by getting to the bottom of what exactly happened.
We understand that nothing will console the grieving families who lost their loved ones just days before Eid. We cannot even begin to imagine the pain they must be going through. But now it is the state’s responsibility to bring some closure. The Sindh government acted in a responsible manner by not giving out names or numbers of the deceased until they could verify and are still in the process of verifying.
Regular updates from the Sindh Health Department about the rescue and relief operations were also commendable under the face of such a huge tragedy, but a thorough investigation is needed into the response of the district administration as eyewitnesses allege that most people lost their lives to the fire that broke out and rescue teams failed to deal with at the earliest.
The media — by and large — also acted in a responsible manner despite some editorial lapses. On the other hand, social media and Whatsapp groups went rife with rumours, some even giving false hope to families.
Here we must pay tribute to the unsung heroes — those who were at the forefront of the rescue and relief efforts, including the law enforcement agencies and humanitarian organisations like the Edhi Foundation. We cannot thank them enough for working tirelessly.
Life is unpredictable but nothing prepares anyone for a sudden and tragic loss. We pray for the families of those who died in yesterday’s crash.
Ahead of the Ruete Hilal committee’s meeting scheduled for later today for moon sighting, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry has said that the Shawwal moon could be sighted tonight.
“The Shawwal moon was born on May 22 at 10:30 pm and will be visible between 7:36 pm and 8:15 pm tonight in Badin, Thatta and Pasni,” Chaudhry said while addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Saturday, and also tweeted it.
سانگھڑ ،بدین،ٹھٹھہ ،جیوانی،پسنی میں چاند7بجکر36منٹ سے8بجکر14منٹ تک چانددیکھاجاسکتاہے،بدین میں چاند سب سے زیادہ واضع ہے اگر ان علاقوں میں موسم خراب نہیں تو دور بین لیکر چھت پر چڑھیں اور اپنی ویڈیو بھی شیئر کریں۔۔۔ تمام اھل اسلام کو عید مبارک
The minister said that according to the calendar prepared by his ministry, Eid will be celebrated on May 24 in many countries including Pakistan. He also shared the link to ‘The Ruet’ app on Twitter.
Saturday will be the last day of Ramzan and Sunday is the first day of Eid in many countries.
The government has earlier announced six Eid holidays from May 22 to 27 both of the public and private sectors. According to a notification issued by the Ministry of Interior, Friday, May 22 to Wednesday, May 27, will be Eid holidays in the country.
Meanwhile, addressing the presser, Fawad regretted that “there are always different announcements by the Reute Hilal Committee and Qasim Khan Mosque [of Peshawar, headed by Mufti Popalzai].”
He also rejected the notion that there was no relation between the sighting of the moon according to Islamic practices and the use of technology in doing so.
“Nowhere in the world is moon sighting an issue. With advances in technology it has become easier to sight the moon,” Fawad said.
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, wealth of the chief executive officers (CEOs) of Amazon and Facebook increased by 15 per cent.
According to reports, wealth of Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg witnessed the increase within the past two months.
More than 600 billionaires in the United States (US) became even richer as tech stocks rose during virus lockdowns. Between March 18 and May 19, their total net worth went up by $434 billion while coronavirus continued to cause unemployment around the world.
Bezos’s wealth grew over 30 per cent to $174.6 billion while Zuckerberg’s fortune increased by more than 45 per cent to $80b billion.
As per a study conducted by Americans for Tax Fairness and the Institution for Policy Studies’ Programme for Inequality, Amazon and Facebook stocks have surged following new programmes that pushed their businesses ahead at a time when many consumers are stuck at home.
Reportedly, job losses in the US have surpassed 36.8 million since business shutdowns began in the middle of March to stop the spread of the deadly new disease.
Data also shows that housing sale and manufacturing businesses also collapsed during the said time period.
Coronavirus has killed at least 94,700 people in the US where more than 1.5 million infections have so far been confirmed.
Karachi-bound flight PK8303 of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) from Lahore on Friday crashed in a residential area of the port city a bit over a minute away from the airport, and two days before Eid sending waves of shock across the country and the world. It was a disaster no one saw coming. Following the tragic incident, condolences for the dead and their loved ones poured in from all over the world.
Among those who offered their condolences were the stars of hit Turkish drama series Diriliş: Ertuğrul, who have been receiving immense love from Pakistani audiences ever since the serial aired in Pakistan on PTV Home.
Engin Altan Düzyatan, the lead star of Diriliş: Ertuğrul, said that he was “very sorry to hear about the crash in Karachi”.
Esra Bilgiç, who essays the role of Halime Sultan in the series, commented on model Zara Abid’s post and apologised for being late to follow her back.
“We knows words aren’t much comfort at a time like this,” said the actor. “But we’d like you to know we are thinking of you.”
Nurettin Sönmez, who playes Bamsi Beyrek, one of the three Alps of Ertuğrul, wrote that he is sharing the sadness.
Cavit Çetinm who plays Güner Doğan Alp, another one of the three Alps of Ertuğrul, sent his prayers for everyone in Pakistan.
The creator of the show, Mehmet Bozdağ also sent in his condolences and prayers to Prime Minister Imran Khan.
فضائی حادثے میں جان بحق افراد کے لیے اللہ سے مغفرت ، ان کے اہل خانہ اور برادر حکومت پاکستان اور عوام سے تعزیت کا اظہار کرتے ہیں ۔ @ImranKhanPTIpic.twitter.com/yxsuw5M1ln
Meanwhile, condolences also poured in from the other side of the border with Bollywood bigwigs including Anil Kapoor and Anupam Kher expressing their sadness and sending their prayers.
Deeply saddened to hear about the #planecrash in #Karachi. My heartfelt condolences to all the families who have lost loved ones and sending my prayers for the speedy rescue & recovery of the ones who are injured.
Deeply saddened to know about the tragic #PIAPlaneCrash. It is so so sad. My heartfelt condolences & prayers for the families who lost their loved ones. May God give them the strength to deal with this tragic loss. Prayers for the injured.
In yet another tragic chapter of Pakistan’s aviation history, Karachi-bound flight PK8303 of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) from Lahore on Friday crashed in a residential area of the port city a bit over a minute away from the airport, and two days before Eid.
A Google Maps screen grab of the distance from the crash site of PIA’s PK8303 to the airport
A majority among the 91 passengers of the ill-fated flight — also carrying seven crew members — was of those who were heading back home to celebrate Eid in Karachi, as the government lifted the ban imposed on domestic air travel to curb the spread of COVID-19.
While a rescue operation is underway and conflicting reports about the number of survivors and fatalities pour in, here’s everything we know so far.
THE FLIGHT AND THE CRASH:
The aircraft, which FlightRadar24.com identified as a 15-year-old Airbus A320, took off from the eastern city of Lahore for Karachi.
“The last we heard from the pilot was that he has some technical problem,” the national carrier’s spokesperson Abdullah Hafeez Khan said in a video statement. “He was told from the final approach that both the runways were ready where he can land, but the pilot decided that he wanted to do a go-round.”
Speaking to a foreign media outlet, one senior civil aviation official said it appeared the plane was unable to open its wheels due to a technical fault prior to landing, but it is too early to determine the cause.
“The plane first hit a mobile tower and then crashed over houses,” a witness Shakeel Ahmed said near the site, just a few kilometres short of the airport — in the Jinnah Garden area of Malir’s Model Colony.
A video, purportedly showing Fridays crash, is also doing rounds over mainstream and social media.
CAUSE OF THE CRASH:
While it still remains too early to determine the cause of the crash, an audio clip of the last conversation between the flight’s pilot and the control tower has been released.
The pilot sent a Mayday — emergency procedure word used internationally as a distress signal in voice procedure radio communications — and told controllers the aircraft had lost power from both its engines on its second attempt to land.
After the aircraft reportedly called off an earlier attempt to land and went around for a second attempt, a controller radioed the pilot that he appeared to be turning left, suggesting he was off-course.
The pilot replied, “We are returning back, sir, we have lost engines,” and the controller cleared the plane to land on either of Karachi airport’s two West-Southwest-facing runways.
Twelve seconds later the pilot called “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday” and was again cleared to use either runway. There was no further communication from the aircraft.
PIA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Air Marshal Arshad Malik confirmed that the pilot, in his last words, had said that there was a technical fault with the aircraft. “The pilot was told that both runways were ready for him to land. However, the pilot decided to do a go-around. Why did he do that, due to what technical reason, that we will find out,” he said, before hopping on a plane to Karachi.
While experts say that what actually caused the crash “will only be determined after the black boxes are opened”, it has been learnt that there has been no permanent director general for the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for the past two years.
POSSIBLE SURVIVORS AND FATALITIES?
Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that Bank of Punjab (BoP) President and CEO Zafar Masud as well as Urban Unit CEO Khalid Sherdil were also on the ill-fated flight that crashed in Karachi, seats 1C and 1F, respectively.
According to reports, Masud was shifted to Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Malir Cantt, where he is receiving treatment and is said to be out of danger. There was no word on Sherdil by the time this report was filed.
As per various unconfirmed reports, anywhere between 14 to 40 passengers have survived. Dozens of others, however, are feared dead, which also include locals who are said to be buried under debris of their houses, or lost their lives due to the fire that broke out following the crash.
A rescue operation is underway and the military has also rushed to the aid of civilian authorities.
Update #PIA Incident: Army Quick Reaction Force & Pakistan Rangers Sindh troops reached incident site for relief and rescue efforts alongside civil administration. Details to follow.
Update #PIA Incident: To speed up relief & rescue efforts, Army Urban Search & Rescue Team with special equipment & rescue specialists flown from Rwp. 10 fire tenders at site have extinguished fire. Military ambulances busy in rescuing injured & providing necessary medical care.
Military’s assistance to speed up relief and rescue efforts in the densely populated area was announced by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
PRESIDENT, PM REACT TO CRASH:
As condolences pour in, President Dr Arif Alvi and Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan have offered their condolences to the families of the victims while also praying for the safety and earliest recovery of the survivors.
The premier has ordered an investigation into the tragedy as well.
Shocked & saddened by the PIA crash. Am in touch with PIA CEO Arshad Malik, who has left for Karachi & with the rescue & relief teams on ground as this is the priority right now. Immediate inquiry will be instituted. Prayers & condolences go to families of the deceased.
“Shocked and saddened by the PIA crash. Am in touch with PIA CEO Arshad Malik, who has left for Karachi and with the rescue and relief teams on ground as this is the priority right now [sic],” he tweeted, announcing that an immediate inquiry would follow.
A Karachi-bound Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight from Lahore on Friday crashed a bit over a minute away from the port city’s airport, Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) sources said.
The plane that crashed in Karachi’s Model Colony, was reportedly carrying 95 passengers.
A video available with The Current showed houses located in the locality’s Jinnah Bagh area on fire.
WATCH VIDEO:
Rescue teams are en route to the site of the crash, a cloud of thick black smoke can be seen over which.
