Category: Uncategorized

  • This is not the first time ‘Diriliş: Ertuğrul’ is being aired in Pakistan

    A plot twist we didn’t see coming. Turns out this is not the first time Turkish drama series Diriliş: Ertuğrul is being aired in Pakistan.

    A Twitter user shared that the drama was dubbed and aired in Urdu five years back on Hum Sitaray.

    The Current reached out to a representative of Hum TV, who confirmed this and said that the first season of the drama was aired in 2015 in Pakistan. He stated that Hum TV bought the rights of the show and dubbed it in Urdu. However, the show failed to catch the attention of the audiences because of which it was dropped after the first season. He further said that while the show was very popular in Turkey, when it was released in December 2014, it was not until it was released on Netflix in April 2017 that it gained international acclaim.

    As for Pakistan, the show was thrust into the spotlight after Prime Minister Imran Khan recommended it and advised the youth to watch it.

    Read more – Yasir Hussain likens Turkish dramas to ‘landay k kapray’

    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 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 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.

  • Saba Qamar is winning the internet with her latest video

    Saba Qamar is winning the internet with her latest video

    Saba Qamar just dropped another video on her YouTube channel and people cannot get enough of her unfiltered sass. Titled The Chay Show featuring Saba Qamar, the episode shows Saba being interviewed by makeup artist Shoaib Khan, dressed up as Suhail Warraich.

    During the episode, Saba answers some of the most asked questions from female celebrities. She is witty and unfiltered with her responses which is why the episode has been much appreciated on social media.

    For example, when the host asks Saba if she has done a lot of romance in real life like on-screen, Saba replies, “Kaisi baat kar rahe hain. Islamic Republic of Pakistan main aurat romance nahi karti, bachay aasmano say girtay hain (Women don’t romance in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Children fall from the skies).”

    Later when he asks how many people Saba has dated, Saba said, “Aap hee bata dein. Aap behatar jaante honge.” When the host insists she answer, Saba launched a tirade saying: “Since a young age, girls are taught that it is better to die than to leave the first man in your life. This one sentence also ruined eight years of my life! He used to lie, misbehave, assault, and later apologise. Because commitment and marriage were the same for me, I kept going on for eight years thinking ‘it’ll get better’ but he didn’t get better, in fact, he ruined my mind!”

    She further said that he later went and got married to someone in his family.

    This answer, in particular, was lauded by Twitter users.

    Meanwhile, check out the entire episode here:

  • Two girls killed for ‘honour’ over leaked mobile video

    Two girls killed for ‘honour’ over leaked mobile video

    Two teenage girls were killed in the name of ‘honour’ allegedly by a family member in a village located on the border of Pakistan’s North and South Waziristan tribal districts after a short mobile video of them with a young man circulated on social media.

    The North Waziristan police on Sunday arrested two men for their alleged involvement in the murder.

    An FIR was filed at the Razmak police station in North Waziristan, where the murders were reported. According to the FIR, the incident took place on May 14 at the border village of Shaam Plain Garyom.

    “A confirmed report was received that two girls aged 16 and 18 were killed in the name of honour by their paternal cousin, whose name and address is not known, in Shaam Plain Garyom,” the FIR said.

    It said the reason behind the killings was believed to be a video that shows a young man recording himself with three young girls in a secluded area outdoors.

    A senior police officer in Waziristan told a news outlet that two of the three girls seen in the 52-second mobile clip have been killed. He said police were collecting information about the third girl and the man seen in the video.

    Meanwhile, another police official said that it appears the video in question was shot nearly a year ago and probably went viral on social media only a few weeks ago.

    “At the moment, our topmost priority is to secure the life of the third girl and the man before taking any action,” stated the official.

  • Mehwish Hayat’s crush has been updated after watching ‘Diriliş: Ertuğrul’

    Mehwish Hayat’s crush has been updated after watching ‘Diriliş: Ertuğrul’

    While the rest of the industry argues over the impact of airing Turkish dramas on the local industry, Mehwish Hayat has shared that her crush has been updated after watching Diriliş: Ertuğrul.

    In a social media post, Mehwish said that she doesn’t understand what the fuss is about before adding that she thinks Engin Altan Düzyatan is “pretty hot” and a bit like Leonardo DiCaprio.

    In case you’ve been completely oblivious to the whole situation and have no idea what Engin looks like, here’s a picture of him as Ertugrul:

    Another one of Engin. Awein.

    As for whether he looks like Leonardo, hmm.

    Meanwhile, scroll down at your own risk because these pictures are bound to update your crush too.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B_cXYfqgcVr/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/B4NBVLAAvTF/

    That smile tho!

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BcEoLKSAJkt/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/BdM8EndBNkb/

    Guess, we just drowned in those eyes.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BGmAS9IxFQU/
  • President Alvi, New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern set an example by following social distancing guidelines

    President Alvi, New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern set an example by following social distancing guidelines

    The story of New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her fiancé, Clarke Gayford being turned away from a popular café in Wellington, which was full due to coronavirus social distancing rules, has gone viral on social media. People cannot stop appreciating Ardern for being modest and down-to-earth.

    According to reports, Ardern and Gayford had gone to get brunch on Saturday at Olive, a popular restaurant in the capital, two days after the country eased many of its lockdown rules, but were turned down due to limited seating. Restaurants in the country are required to seat guests at least 1 meter (3 feet) apart from each other because of which many have limited their seating to comply with the rules.

    Though the PM and her partner walked away, they were chased down by the restaurant’s management when a spot freed up.

    Gayford even addressed the matter on social media and shared his side of the story.

    Meanwhile, a spokesperson from Ardern’s office, in an email, reportedly stated, that waiting at a cafe is something that anyone can experience during New Zealand’s virus restrictions.

    “The PM says she just waits like everyone else,” read the email.

    After Ardern’s story went viral on social media, President of Pakistan Dr. Arif Alvi’s son Awab Alvi came forward and recounted a similar story. Awab shared that a few days back, President Alvi had gone to buy Ras Malai from a local sweet shop, clad in a cap and mask. He said that President Alvi waited for half an hour in the line and followed all the necessary protocols.

    Awab further said that if anyone has any doubts, they can check the CCTV footage.

  • ‘Asma-Ul-Husna’: Coke Studio accused of plagiarising British singer’s video

    ‘Asma-Ul-Husna’: Coke Studio accused of plagiarising British singer’s video

    Atif Aslam’s collaboration with Coke Studio for a special went viral within hours of being released. Atif’s take on Asma-ul-Husna – the 99 names of Allah – received praise from all around and got millions of hits. The video, directed by Asim Raza and produced by Zulfiqar “Xulfi” Jabbar Khan was also appreciated and people lauded Coke Studio for releasing this in this moment of crisis.

    Read more – Atif Aslam recites the 99 names of Allah for a ‘Coke Studio’ special

    However, a blogger came forward and accused Coke Studio of plagiarising British singer Sami Yusuf’s video. Aamir Ali Shah, who levelled the accusations, also shared the two videos side by side and let the audiences make the call.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CAPa1JspCIt/

    For the unacquainted, Sami is a British singer, multi-instrumentalist, composer and record producer born in Tehran, Iran.

    Watch Coke Studio’s Asma-ul-Husna here:

    Read more – Two ‘Coke Studio 12’ songs taken down because of copyright issues

    Watch Sami Yusuf’s video:

    Meanwhile, earlier this month, Sami had also released his take on Asma-ul-Husna.

  • The Current Projections: 45,000 COVID-19 cases by June

    The Current Projections: 45,000 COVID-19 cases by June

    The number of coronavirus cases in Pakistan is likely to rise upwards of 45,000 by the first week of June, suggests the stable trend of rise in infections in the country since its first case of the COVID-19 was reported on February 26.

    The tally reached 1,235 on March 25 (in 30 days), which was followed by an increase of 11,875 in a single month (until April 25) — putting the total number of infections past 12,000 — and later a record spike of 11,416 cases in just 11 days from April 26 to May 7.

    The World Health Organization (WHO) has already warned that the number of COVID-19 cases in Pakistan can rise to 200,000 by mid-July if “effective interventions” are not taken.

    Despite the rising number of cases, countrywide lockdowns have been eased to save the economy while the government is planning to entirely lift the ban on inter-city transportation ahead of Eid holidays.

    READ: Supreme Court orders reopening of shopping malls across Pakistan

    The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Pakistan stood at 42,227 by the time this report was filed. The number of fatalities was 899 with 11,922 recoveries. Sindh had the most number of infections — nearly 18,000 — with Punjab trailing behind at 14,500 cases of COVID-19.

  • Pakistani-American girl honoured by President Trump as a coronavirus hero

    Pakistani-American girl honoured by President Trump as a coronavirus hero

    President Trump and first lady Melania Trump on Friday paid tribute to several American heroes who are helping on the front lines of the coronavirus crisis, including Girl Scouts from Maryland who donated cookies to nurses and firefighters. Among those girl scouts was a ten-year-old Pakistani-American girl Laila Khan.

    According to a report in APP, Laila who hails from Maryland was recognised as American coronavirus hero as she had donated cookies to nurses and firefighters. Laila, along with Lauren Matney and Sravya Annappareddy – all 10 years old – had donated 100 boxes of Girl Scout cookies to local doctors, nurses and firefighters. They also wrote 200 personalized cards for health care workers.

    Speaking about the recognition, Khan said: “While we are honoured that our troop was invited to be here today, we know that we are just part of the millions of other children out there that are doing amazing things to support their communities, their friends and their families. It is a privilege to be here representing all of them.”

    Meanwhile, President Trump in a ceremony in the White House Rose Garden had said: “The men and women we honour today remind us that the bonds that unite us in times of hardship can also raise us to new heights as we reopen and recover and rebuild.”

    Ambassador of Pakistan to the US Asad Khan also appreciated Laila and thanked President Trump for honouring her.

  • VIDEO: Hareem Shah ready to play Halime Sultan if Prime Minister Imran Khan plays Ertugrul

    VIDEO: Hareem Shah ready to play Halime Sultan if Prime Minister Imran Khan plays Ertugrul

    As ‘Diriliş: Ertuğrul’ fever continues to grip Pakistan, TikTok celebrity Hareem Shah has made headlines for saying that she is ready to play the role of Halime Sultan — the wife of Ertuğrul — if Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan plays the lead of the hit Turkish series.

    “Turkish actor Esra Bilgiç performed so well in the drama. Her acting made me travel back in time to the era depicted in the series,” Shah said in an interview with vlogger Moin Zubair.

    READ: Pakistanis lose it over ‘un-Islamic’ Instagram of ‘Diriliş: Ertuğrul’ star

    It wasn’t later that the internet celebrity expressed her desire to play the role of Halime Sultan, to which she was asked who would she want to play the lead role of Ertuğrul.

    “[Prime Minister] Imran Khan can be Ertuğrul,” Shah said.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmFg43_k1eg

    Turkish historic fiction series ‘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 to the point that PTV is now aiming to set a new record with the series.

    READ: Fans spot ‘Virat Kohli’, ‘Usman Shinwari’ in Ertuğrul

    In an exclusive interview with The Current, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Faisal Javed Khan revealed that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan gifted the drama series to Pakistan as a goodwill gesture.

    The series set in pre-Ottoman era centres around the life of Ertuğrul, the father of Osman I.

  • Supreme Court orders reopening of shopping malls across Pakistan

    Supreme Court orders reopening of shopping malls across Pakistan

    Despite coronavirus continuing to spread across the country, the Supreme Court (SC), which seems to be at odds with the government over the latter’s handling of the pandemic, has ordered the reopening of shopping malls across the country.

    According to the details, a five-member larger bench of the apex court was hearing a suo motu case regarding measures taken to curb the spread of COVID-19.

    The bench was headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Gulzar Ahmed while Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel, Justice Sajjad Ali Shah and Justice Qazi Muhammad Amin Ahmed were also on the bench.

    During the hearing today, Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed remarked that if the shops are shut down then shopkeepers will ‘die of hunger rather than the coronavirus’.

    CJP Ahmed said that in Karachi, except for five big malls every market has resumed operations.

    Upon which, Commissioner Karachi Iftikhar Shallwani said that a few markets were sealed for not following the Standard Operating Procedures laid out by the government.

    “The sealed markets should be opened and instead of intimidating them (shop owners) make them understand (the situation and SOPs),” remarked the top judge.

    The CJP noted that the SOPs will be ‘better implemented’ at the big shopping malls.

    The apex court also ordered that on the weekends, all the small markets should remain open to public.