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  • Does the Pakistani man understand that no means no?

    Does the Pakistani man understand that no means no?

    A young girl was subjected to torture in Faisalabad. A final-year student, the girl alleged that her friend’s father became interested in her and even wrote her a formal proposal, which she declined. After she rejected the proposal, the accused pressurised her to change her mind. She received death threats. The complainant was even threatened that she could be raped. In videos that have now gone viral, she was subjected to physical and verbal abuse. Her hair was cut off and she was asked to lick shoes in order to humiliate her. She went through this abuse and torture only because she refused to marry a man who was also her friend’s father. This horrific incident shows how fragile Pakistani male egos are because they will not let a woman exercise her free will and choose to say no.

    This isn’t the first incident of its kind. Back in 2018, a bus hostess was murdered in Faisalabad for rejecting a marriage proposal. We witnessed the same shock and horror that we are seeing today but did it change anything? No. Are women allowed to exercise their free will and choose the men of their choice? No.

    In Punjab, the largest province of Pakistan, a total of 77 cases of physical assault were recorded in the month of July alone — 93 women in Punjab were abducted, and 47 cases of sexual assault cases were recorded. As far as domestic violence cases are concerned, Punjab reported 58 cases.

    Women face the same problems across South Asia. In India, Bilkis Bano — an Indian Muslim woman who was gang-raped in the 2002 Gujarat riots — said that her peace has been taken away after the Gujarat government released her 11 rapists. Her rapists were released on August 15, i.e. Independence Day of India. They were convicted in 2008.“How can justice for any woman end like this? I trusted the highest courts in our land. I trusted the system, and I was learning slowly to live with my trauma. The release of these convicts has taken from me my peace and shaken my faith in justice,” said Bilkis in her statement.

    With all the abuse, harassment, sexual assault, domestic violence, and rapes being reported not just in our country, but around the region, where are we headed as a society? Where do we go from here? Where do we stand? Has humanity died? What about morality and protection in the name of rule and law? Will women ever be safe, anywhere? Women of Pakistan and across the world deserve better.

  • PEMRA imposes ban on live telecast of Imran Khan’s speeches

    PEMRA imposes ban on live telecast of Imran Khan’s speeches

    The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has imposed a ban with immediate effect on the live telecast of speeches of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Khan after he threatened the police, bureaucracy, and Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Zeba Chaudhry.

    PEMRA issued a six-page notification stating it has been observed that Imran Khan is continuously levelling baseless accusations in his speeches and statements against national institutions and spreading hatred in his speeches.

    According to PEMRA, the ban has been put in place under Section 27 of the PEMRA Ordinance 2002. PEMRA also warned news channels of strict action if the directives were not followed. 

    According to various news reports, the government has lodged a first information report (FIR) against Khan under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) for threatening a judge and two top police officials during his speech yesterday (August 20). 

    Be ready, we will take action against you: Khan

    On August 20, addressing a party rally in the federal capital’s F-9 park to express solidarity with Shahbaz Gill, Khan threatened Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Zeba Chaudhry.

    “Zeba! Be ready, we will take action against you.”

    ADSJ Zeba Chaudhry had approved Gill’s two-day physical remand at the request of the capital police.

    Khan threatened that he would “not spare” Islamabad’s inspector-general (IG), deputy inspector general (DIG).

    “IGP and DIG! We will not spare you.” 

    He further said that if a case can be registered against Gill, then Fazlur Rehman, Nawaz Sharif, and Rana Sanaullah will also face judicial proceedings.

    “They [coalition government] are trying to scare us by torturing Gill,” he said, adding that this is a “decisive moment” for the people of the country.

    We did nothing: Police tells Khan

    Khan again called on the “neutrals” (military establishment) to stand with the nation rather than the “gang of thieves”, in reference to the ruling coalition. He said he wanted to ask the neutrals if they were “really neutral”. He also alleged that the Islamabad police was taking orders for action against his party leaders from ‘someone’.

    “When I asked the police to tell me what did they do to Shahbaz Gill’ they said: ‘We did nothing, we got a boot from behind to follow orders’,” Khan said while announcing to move the Supreme Court against the alleged torture of Gill.

  • Urdu, Punjabi among most spoken non-official languages in Canada

    Urdu, Punjabi among most spoken non-official languages in Canada

    Punjabi is the fourth and Urdu is the seventh most widely spoken language — predominantly spoken at home — in Canada according to new data released by Statistics Canada (StatCan), the country’s data agency. This is based on the 2021 census.

    Apart from English and French, Mandarin and Punjabi were Canada’s most widely spoken languages. About 4.6 million Canadians (12.7%) speak a language other than English or French predominantly at home. Mandarin and Punjabi are spoken predominantly at home by more than half a million Canadians each.

    More than a hundred thousand people each speak Yue (Cantonese), Spanish, Arabic, Tagalog, Persian languages, Urdu, Russian and Korean at home as per the 2021 census.

    According to the 2021 census, which was announced on August 18th, Urdu was at the seventh spot out of the top 12 non-official spoken languages in Canada.

    In 2021, 520,000 Canadians spoke Punjabi at home, and 530,000 spoke Mandarin at home. According to the census, 290,000 people speak Arabic while 160,000 speak Urdu at home.

    Meanwhile, conventional estimates indicate that the number of Pakistani-origin Canadians is a lot more than the official numbers. According to an official of the Pakistan High Commission in Ottawa, around 500,000 to 600,000 Pakistanis reside in Canada.

  • Govt imposes 100% penalty surcharge to release banned imported items

    Govt imposes 100% penalty surcharge to release banned imported items

    The federal government has approved the release of imported goods with a penalty surcharge of 100 per cent of assessed value that arrived at the ports after June 30.

    The federal government has reportedly permitted the release of all imported products and imposed fines of up to 100 per cent on goods that had arrived at ports by the end of July notwithstanding limitations.

    Finance Minister Miftah Ismail made the announcement during a news conference, noting that the restrictions were put in place in response to the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) requirements.

    Vehicles, mobile phones, home appliances, and other property may now be released with a 100 per cent penalty surcharge.

    Other imported items were permitted with payment of a premium of up to 35 per cent, according to the announcement. Items received after June 30 and up to July 31 will be released with a penalty surcharge of 25 per cent.

    Three months after the limitation was put in place, the federal government earlier on August 18 relaxed the ban on the importation of luxury and non-essential goods.

  • Sonam Kapoor, Anand Ahuja blessed with a baby boy

    Sonam Kapoor, Anand Ahuja blessed with a baby boy

    Bollywood actor Sonam Kapoor and entrepreneur Anand Ahuja have been blessed with a baby boy on Saturday.

    Anil Kapoor’s costar Neetu Kapoor took to her Instagram handle to announce the arrival of Sonam’s baby with Anand Ahuja. The note reads, “On 20.08.2022, we welcomed our beautiful baby boy with bowed heads and open hearts. Thank you to all the doctors, nurses, friends, and family who have supported us on this journey. It is only the beginning, but we know our lives have forever changed. Sonam and Anand.” It is indeed a happy moment for Kapoors and the Ahuja’s. 

    Sonam Kapoor and Anand Ahuja welcome their first child and it’s a BOY

    As the two shared the good news on their social media, the couple’s admirers, family, and friends showered their love on them. Sonam who married Anand in 2018, took the internet by storm as they shared that the baby is due this fall.

    Ahead of the arrival of the baby, Sonam Kapoor had also revealed on social media that she had taken off on a babymoon to Europe with hubby Anand Ahuja. In fact, yet another baby shower was planned a few months ago by the actress’ London friends and her sister Rhea Kapoor in the England capital. It was a small brunchy affair, with chic décor and style, along with a performance from international artist Leo Kalyan.

    Earlier this year, Sonam and Anand took to social media to announce their excitement saying, “Four hands. To raise you the very best we can. Two hearts. That will beat in unison with yours, every step of the way. One family. Who will shower you with love and support. We can’t wait to welcome you. ❤️❤️❤️ #everydayphenomenal #comingthisfall2022”.

    After dating for several years, the two tied the knot in May 2018, and they had an intimate Punjabi wedding ceremony.

    Sonam Kapoor & Anand Ahuja Are Expecting Their First Child

    As soon as Sonam Kapoor shared her maternity pictures, her post went viral, while her fans, friends and family started pouring their love including superstar Katrina Kaif and Kareena Kapoor Khan, who wrote, “Wohoooooooo soooo happy for you both♥️♥️can’t wait for the babies to play,” while Anshula and Khushi dropped heart emojis.

    Pakistani actresses like Aiman Khan, Minal Khan and Nimra Khan also liked her post.

  • Groom plays video of bride’s affair with brother-in-law, cancels wedding

    Groom plays video of bride’s affair with brother-in-law, cancels wedding

    A wedding ceremony took a dramatic turn when the groom played a graphic video of the bride having an affair with her brother-in-law in front of the wedding guests. This incident was reported in China.

    Reportedly, the bride could be seen in bed with her pregnant sister’s husband. It left guests in shock and ended up in the wedding being called off.

    The bride did not react much. She threw her bouquet at the groom who is heard shouting at her :”Did you think I didn’t know about this?”

    The video went viral on TikTok and has gained more than 10 million views, Times Now stated.

    The video has left users divided over the groom’s decision to play the video at his wedding

    A user commented, “Honesty, I am this petty and would 1000 percent do this.”

    Another wrote, “So why did he waste all that money on the wedding?”

    Some of the users claimed that the video looked staged.

  • When Bollywood unofficially remade ‘Maula Jatt’ with Dharmendra and Shatrugan Sinha

    When Bollywood unofficially remade ‘Maula Jatt’ with Dharmendra and Shatrugan Sinha

    Blockbuster Lollywood film Muala Jatt starring Sultan Rahi and Mustafa Qureshi is a cult Punjabi language action-musical film directed by Younis Malik and produced by Sarwar Bhatti.

    This movie belongs to a genre which represents the rural culture of Pakistani central Punjab. Its success set the trend of action films being popular in Pakistan and cemented Sultan Rahi as Lollywood’s leading hero.

    Maula Jatt met with a ban not long after its release from the establishment of the time due to its violent content. However, the producer was able to acquire a stay order. The stay order not only gave the film a 2-and-a-half-year run time in cinemas but also helped the film make history as the first Punjabi film to have done so.

    Now its official remake is releasing across the country on October 13th starring the biggest superstars of the country such as Fawad Khan, Mahira Khan, Hamza Ali Abbasi and Humaima Malick among others.

    propakistani.pk/lens/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Th...

    The film, which was initially announced in 2011, has seen many hurdles along the way. Be it the prolonged legal battle or a pandemic, The Legend of Maula Jatt kept getting delayed for one reason or the other. Now, fans and critics are hopeful that the film will finally see the light of the day and will release on the recently announced date, October 13 of this year.

    However not many know that Indian film industry a.k.a Bollywood also remade this cult classic in the 1980s. The Hindi film is Jeene Nahi Doonga, a 1984 Bollywood action film directed by Rajkumar Kohli and starring Raj Babbar, Dharmendra, Anita Raj. The movie is an unofficial remake of Maula Jatt. Dharmendra and Shatrughan Sinha’s characters are based on Sultan Rahi and Mustafa Qureshi’s most famous characters Maula Jatt and Noori Natt.

    Although its not a scene by scene replica but bears striking similarity in terms of plot, depiction and treatment.

    Indian filmmaker and actor Anurag Kashyap recently took to his Twitter handle to laud Fawad Khan, Mahira Khan and Hamza Ali Abbasi starrer, The Legend of Maula Jatt‘s trailer. “Finally the film I’ve loved so much and the film you really want to see, the trailer is out!” the Gangs of Wasseypur director tweeted along with the link to the trailer on YouTube.

  • Pak vs India on August 28: Shaheen Shah will not be part of Pakistan’s squad

    Pak vs India on August 28: Shaheen Shah will not be part of Pakistan’s squad

    Shaheen Shah Afridi has been ruled out of the Asia Cup, as well as the seven-match T20I series at home against England in September because of a knee injury.

    Pakistan will play against arch-rivals India in the Asia Cup in Dubai on August 28.

    “Shaheen Shah Afridi has been advised 4-6 weeks rest by the PCB Medical Advisory Committee and independent specialists following latest scans and reports. This means Shaheen has been ruled out of the ACC T20 Asia Cup and home series against England, but is expected to return to competitive cricket in October with the New Zealand T20I tri-series, which will be followed by the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Australia 2022,” said Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in a press release.

    “Shaheen had suffered a right knee ligament injury while fielding during the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle.”
    “I have spoken with Shaheen and he is understandably upset with the news, but he is brave young man who has vowed to come back strongly to serve his country and team. Although he has made progress during his rehabilitation in Rotterdam, it is now clear he will require more time and is likely to return to competitive cricket in October,” said PCB Chief Medical Officer Dr Najeebullah Soomro.

    Shaheen’s replacement for the ICC T20 Asia Cup is yet to be announced.

  • Fawad proposes committee with leaders from coalition govt and PTI to probe Gill’s ‘torture’

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry on Saturday (August 20) proposed the formation of a committee comprising Federal Railways and Aviation Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, and PTI leader Dr Shireen Mazari — to investigate the “torture” of Dr Shahbaz Gill.

    “They will also not be blamed for being pro-PTI,” Fawad tweeted.

    “These people have a point of view on torture, which is independent of their parties’ narrative […] hence, they should be given the responsibility of inquiring the events,” he said.

    The PTI has alleged that Gill was tortured in custody and was sexually abused.

    On Friday, Khan said in a series of tweets said, “All the pictures and videos show clearly Gill was tortured both mentally and physically, including sexual abuse — most too gruesome to relate.”

    Talking to media persons outside the capital’s Police Lines Headquarters today, Chaudhry asserted that physical or mental torture won’t be allowed under any circumstances.

    “I personally believe […] and this is not my party’s demand but mine […] that an independent panel should be formed and the torture should be investigated. And then the faces of those who tortured [Gill] and those who passed its orders should be brought forward in public,” he said, requesting the Supreme Court to take notice of the incident.

  • ‘Pervaiz Elahi and Punjab government being controlled through remote control from Bani Gala’: Tarar

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Attaullah Tarar warned the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Punjab government that “all of you” will be arrested if a single PML-N worker is sent behind bars.

    Tarar, who was speaking to the media, warned Chief Minister (CM) Punjab Pervaiz Elahi’s government that they “will face the consequences of the trend of revenge they had set”.

    “Pervaiz Elahi sahib, you and your son (Moonis Elahi) will face the consequences of this new trend that you have set,” warned Tarar, claiming that Moonis had been issuing instructions for action against PML-N leaders despite not having any official authority.

    “Pervaiz Elahi and his Punjab government are being controlled through remote control from Bani Gala. This is his old habit. For God’s sake, stop this, the country has already borne much loss.”

    He also linked the action against his party’s members to the “promotion of an anti-state narrative”, alluding to PTI leader Dr Shahbaz Gill’s remarks against institutions.

    Tarar alleged that CM Elahi had “fully facilitated [former Prime Minister] Imran Khan in promoting this anti-state narrative”, adding that Elahi was “at the forefront of exacting revenge from us”.

    He went on to claim that Elahi and Moonis had directed jail officials not to hand over Gill to Islamabad police even when the court had approved his remand in police custody.

    Court issues arrest warrants for Ata Tarar, 11 other PML-N leaders

    A judicial magistrate Friday, August 19, issued the arrest warrants for a dozen PML-N leaders, including prime minister’s special assistant Atta Tarar, in relation to a ruckus created at the Punjab Assembly.

    A case was registered against the PML-N leaders over the ruckus which took place in April during the chief minister’s election — when Hamza Shehbaz was elected to the top office.