Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Ali Amin Gandapur took to Twitter to lash out at Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and said, “Rana sanaullah u coward bastard u brutally attacked innocent Pakistanis and till now charged five firs against me in different police stations.”
Gandapur further tweeted, “I dare and challenge u to charge fir against me in every police station but be ready for the revenge as I will take u to hell INSHALLAH.”
Rana sanaullah u coward bastard u brutally attacked innocent Pakistanis and till now charged five firs against me in different police stations I dare and challenge u to charge fir against me in every police station but be ready for the revenge as I will take u to hell INSHALLAH
— Ali Amin Khan Gandapur (@AliAminKhanPTI) May 27, 2022
Gandapur’s tweet came after the Islamabad Police on Thursday registered a case against senior PTI leaders, including Imran Khan, for the riots that took place in Islamabad during the “Azadi March”.
Apart from Khan, police also registered cases against PTI leaders Asad Umar, Imran Ismail, Raja Khurram Nawaz, Ali Amin Gandapur, and Ali Nawaz Awan.
Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) revealed that the weekly Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the joint consumption group fell 0.26 per cent for the week ending May 26, owing primarily to a drop in the prices of vital food products.
The consolidated index was 174.62 on May 19, 2022, compared to 175.08 on May 19, 2021, while the SPI increased 16.97 per cent year on year when the index was 149.29 on May 27, 2021.
The minor price reductions in essential items may be a sign that the government is finally gaining control of the country’s skyrocketing inflation, which has afflicted the poor strata.
Here are the items that witnessed a decrease or increase in their prices:
Decrement
Wheat Flour (12.25 per cent), Chillies Powdered (6.48 per cent), Chicken (4.41 per cent), Garlic (2.99 per cent), and non-food item LPG (0.43 per cent) were among the commodities that saw a decline in their rates on a WoW premise out of the 51 supervised items, with a cumulative effect of (-1.00 per cent) into the total SPI for the blended group of goods (-0.26 per cent).
Increment
27 items elevated in the week, including potatoes (8.43 per cent), tomatoes (6.33 per cent), eggs (6.29 per cent), rice basmati broken (4.71 per cent), mustard oil (4.16 per cent), pulse masaoor (3.93 per cent), milk fresh (3.47 per cent), onions (3.03 per cent), pulse gramme (2.58 per cent), curd (2.35 per cent), washing soap (2.13 per cent), cooked beef (1.55 per cent), beef (1.42 per cent), pulse mash (1.33 per cent), cooked daal (1.24 per cent). While 19 commodities’ prices remained stable.
Independent filmmaker, Saim Sadiq’s feature film, Joyland has become the first film from the subcontinent to win a jury prize at Cannes.
Pakistani film “Joyland”, written and directed by debutant Saim Sadiq, won the Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section of the 75th Cannes Film Festival on Friday, becoming the first-ever film from the subcontinent to bag the award.
Joyland, a drama about a Lahore family in the firm grip of deep-rooted patriarchy, was pipped to the section’s top award.
The award for “Joyland” represents a global breakthrough of immeasurable proportions for the relatively small Pakistani movie industry.
Incidentally, Joyland also won the Prix Queer Palm, awarded by Jury chaired by filmmaker Catherine Corsini on Friday. One of the central characters in the film is a transwoman played by a real-life transwoman Alina Khan
Earlier it also became the first ever Pakistani feature film to get a nomination at the Cannes film festival. It will be screened at the 75th Anniversary of the annual Cannes film festival. This film has made history by getting selected among the 14 films in the feature film category.
Sana Jafri who starred in the film took to her Instagram to share the proud moment for Pakistan with a screenshot from Cannes official website. The film, Joyland was written in the category of Uncertain Regard.
Many celebrities congratulated the entire team of the film.
Mahira Khan wrote, “This is amaaaazin’G! Congratulations to the entire team. And to Pakistan.”
Actor, Osman Khalid Butt also congratulated on Twitter, “This is FANTASTIC. What a huge moment for Pakistani cinema. Congratulations, Saim and the entire team of Joyland!”
This is FANTASTIC. What a huge moment for Pakistani cinema. Congratulations, Saim and the entire team of Joyland! https://t.co/q79oopWz6y
Actor and model, Adnan Malik also shared the news on his Instagram story and congratulated to the whole team of the film, “This is some incredible news to wake up to.”
Oscar-Award winner, Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy also took to her Instagram story to share her pride in achieving a milestone by Saim Sadiq.
Ms Marvel actor, Nimra Bucha also celebrated the proud moment for Pakistan and Saim on her Instagram story
Nadia Afgan wrote, “So proud of you, Saim Sadiq! Mommy loves you” as she posted Cannes’ official tweet on her Instagram story.
The most controversial billionaire Elon Musk has been sued by Twitter Inc shareholders, who claim he manipulated the company’s stock price downward, as the CEO of electric carmaker Tesla Inc mounts a $44 billion buyout offer for the social media platform.
According to the investors, Musk saved $156 million by failing to disclose that he had acquired more than 5 per cent of Twitter by March 14. They requested class certification and an unknown amount of punitive and compensatory damages.
They also named Twitter as a defendant, claiming the company owed them an investigation into Musk’s behaviour, though they are not seeking monetary damages from the company.
As per the lawsuit, filed on Wednesday in San Francisco federal court, the investors claimed Musk continued to buy stock after that and eventually disclosed in early April that he owned 9.2 per cent of the company.
“By delaying his disclosure of his Twitter stake, Musk engaged in market manipulation and purchased Twitter stock at an artificially low price,” the investors, led by Virginia resident William Heresniak, claimed. Requests for comment were not immediately returned by Musk or his lawyer.
The recent drop in Tesla’s stock has put Musk’s ability to finance his acquisition of Twitter in “major jeopardy,” according to the investors, because he has pledged his shares as collateral to secure the loans he needs to buy the company.
Tesla’s stock was trading around $713 per share on Thursday afternoon, down from over $1,000 in early April. According to the Wall Street Journal, the timing of Musk’s disclosure of his stake has already triggered an investigation by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
The SEC demands any investor who purchases more than 5% of a company’s stock to disclose their assets within 10 days of crossing the limit.
The investors also claimed that Musk’s public criticism of the company, such as a May 13 tweet stating that the buyout was “temporarily on hold” until Twitter proved that spam bots accounted for less than 5% of its users, amounted to an attempt to drive the share price even lower.
Musk pledged an additional $6.25 billion in equity financing to fund his bid for Twitter on Wednesday, indicating that he is still working to close the deal.
Earlier this month, the tech mogul was sued in Delaware Chancery Court by a Florida pension fund, which sought to halt the transaction on the grounds that some other large Twitter shareholders were supporting the buyout, which is a violation of Delaware law. The lawsuit filed by Heresniak does not seek to halt the takeover.
A female researcher working with the corporate accountability campaign group SumOfUs alleged that her avatar in Meta’s virtual reality platform Horizon Worlds was sexually abused.
The report said: “A SumOfUs researcher was led into a private room at a party where she was raped by a user who kept telling her to turn around so he could do it from behind while users outside the window could see – all while another user in the room watched and passed around a vodka bottle.”
Our Metaverse researcher went from donning an oculus headset for the first time, to being virtually raped within about an hour. The SumOfUs research report, including video clips, is here: https://t.co/sjNfdzBffH(1/9) pic.twitter.com/IA9C13SkfC
SumOfUs director Vicky Wyatt, while talking to BBC, said that while the attack did not take place in real life, “it still counts, it still has a real impact on users.”
The group claims that the researcher also witnessed homophobic slurs and virtual gun violence.
Wyatt said that Meta needs to act now to deal with issues.
The metaverse is not a single place, and it is stated to include a variety of 3D virtual environments, including well-known games and virtual worlds.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Friday said that the reason for ending the party’s Azadi March was to avoid bloodshed and that no deal with the establishment took place.
“Our workers asked why we did not stage a sit-in. I am the man who staged a sit-in for 126 days. It was not difficult for me, but by the time I reached I became aware of the extent of the situation […] I knew that day that there would be bloodshed.”
میں نے 126 دن دھرنا دیا میرے لیے مشکل نہیں تھا اتنی دیر بیٹھنا جبتک یہ امپورٹڈ حکومت گھٹنے نہ ٹیک دیتی لیکن میں نے ملک کو انتشار سے بچایا کیونکہ مجھے ملک کی فکر ہے۔ چیئرمین عمران خان #آرہاہے_الیکشنpic.twitter.com/uOZ40dsJya
Khan said the people were “ready” after seeing the “terrorism” carried out by the police. “Everyone was ready to fight, some of our people were so angered by what they saw,” he said, adding that officials were instructed to brutalise protesters.
“The anger at the time, if I had staged a sit-in that day I can guarantee that there would have been bloodshed,” said Khan, adding that there was a prevailing sense of hatred against police officials.
“But the police is also ours, it is not their fault,” the PTI chairman said, blaming the government for issuing the directives. If there was violence then it would only have caused chaos in the country, said Khan.
“I think of this as a jihad. I will stand up against this as long as I am alive,” he said, reiterating that he only cared about the future of the country.
The PTI chairman again stressed his six-day ultimatum to the government for the announcement of early elections. “If they do not clearly announce a date for the elections or for the dissolution of the assemblies, I will take to the streets again. Let me make it clear, this time we will be prepared.”
Khan said he had written to Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial asking whether or not the party had the right to stage a peaceful protest in a democracy.
میں نے سپریم کورٹ کے چیف جسٹس کو خط لکھا ہے کہ وہ بتائیں کہ کیا جمہوریت میں ہمیں احتجاج کا حق ہے یا نہیں؟ میں نے ملک کو انتشار سے بچانے کے لیے فیصلہ کیا اسے کوئی کمزوری نہ سمجھے، اس لیے چھ دن کا وقت دیا ہے۔ چیئرمین عمران خان #آرہاہے_الیکشنpic.twitter.com/fKPJAY6ifw
“This is the fundamental right of a citizen […] I ask our judiciary, do you think we will remain silent [like] sheep and accept all of this? If you think this, it means that we are pushing the country towards treason. If you do not allow people to stage peaceful protests, what other options do they have left?”
He said that he had written a letter to the CJP to make his position “clear”, reiterating that he would take to the streets again after six days. In six days we will find out whether or not the apex court protects our fundamental rights, he said.
The manner in which lawyers and women were forced to disembark from a bus and were “beaten”, had anyone seen something like that before, he asked.
“Which justice system allows this? The entire nation should know who stands for [their] rights and who is carrying out oppression.”
A 10-minutes standing ovation, pride, and tears of joy are what the world witnessed, as team Joyland stood tall amongst the august audience at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. Joyland left its viewers beaming with joy as they revelled in the world of Saim Sadiq’s creation. A young director/writer, who with his innate creative aesthetic and passion has given a reason to people back home something to celebrate. Joyland will definitely serve as an opportunity for many to learn and aspire towards bringing the change. Pakistani cinema was in need of a moment like Joyland.
Written and directed by Saim Sadiq, Joyland represented Pakistan at Cannes. Joyland is the first Pakistani feature film to make the official selection at the festival. The film has been selected for the Un Certain Regard category. Cannes only takes in a limited number of 14 films in the category and it is a moment of immense pride for the Pakistani film industry.
Saim’s feature film is a star-studded ensemble, starring Sarwat Gilani, Salman Peerzada, Sania Saeed, Ali Junejo, Alina Khan, and Rasti Farooq. The film is produced by Sarmad Khoosat, Apoorva Guru Charan, and Lauren Mann.
Team Joyland
The Current reached out to the director Saim Sadiq, producer Sarmad Khoosat and female actor Sarwat Gilani and asked them about how they felt representing Pakistan, their work, and the journey of Joyland.
Saim, who is currently abroad, has a message for his people back home. Speaking to The Current, Saim said, “I hope people back home do watch Joyland and respond to it in the same way with love and appreciation, just like we received at Cannes.”
Saim Sadiq- Director Joyland
A creative genius when it comes to dramas and films, Sarmad Khoosat, who is the producer of Joyland, told The Current how “proud, overwhelmed, and emotional” these past few days have been for the team and him.
Khoosat while talking about Saim said, “This is Saim’s film. It is from his heart and his soul. It is many years that he has spent with this story. Right from the day he shared the story, I knew that there was a connection and truth to it which is exceptional and special.”
Selfie of Sarmad Khoosat and Saim Sadiq
Talking about his role as a producer, Khoosat said that he had not produced in a while and the journey on the other side of the camera was a little unnerving initially. But the joy he seemed to witness as the journey unfolded and seeing everything stamped on camera was rather fulfilling for Khoosat.
“It feels like a dream”, is what Khoosat said about Cannes. “I am very proud of this ensemble cast. They are truly special and what gifted actors, they are people made of dreams.”
Pakistan’s much-adored actress Sarwat Gilani spoke her heart out in her conversation with The Current. “Joyland for me means revolution for Pakistani cinema for sure. It talks about a lot of issues we hide away or feel shy to talk about.” Speaking about her director, Gilani said, “Saim is a very intelligent and a detailed-oriented person. He knew exactly what he wanted. The strings he wanted to pull in his audience’s heart, and well he was successful in doing that. I loved working with him and would look forward to working with him again. He made Joyland with a lot of responsibility and sensitivity.”
Talking about Cannes, Gilani said that it was a magical time for the team of Joyland.
Sarwat Gilani at Cannes
“It was an absolute honour to be there and represent Pakistan. And we are delighted to make history. The reception we got was unbelievable. Joyland received a 10-minute standing ovation and that in itself was a fulfilling reward for all of us,” said Gilani.
“Joyland is a call for empathy”, says Saim Sadiq. His debut film has received an overwhelming response from renowned world critics as well.
Anupama Chopra, an Indian film critic writing about Saim said that “he is keenly observant of the deep-set biases we carry and the harshness with which we judge each other”.
“Joyland remains a thoughtful, well performed and engrossing drama set in a culture that’s shifting, and not always with ease,” writes Deadline.
We only hope and wish that Joyland is given its due credit back home and people reciprocate the same love and appreciation it has given to Pakistan. We all look forward to experiencing the joy and charm of Joyland on our screens, back home in Pakistan.
Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif will announce a relief package soon for those who are unable to afford fuel after a massive hike imposed by the government.
This is undoubtedly an excellent news for the lower-income strata, as the recent petrol hike has weighed heavily on the inflation-stricken masses.
Finance Minister Miftah Ismail announced last night a gigantic increase in the price of oil products in an attempt to reestablish the International Monetary Fund (IMF) plans to assist the country’s fragile economy.
The decision was made in light of IMF guidelines, which required the removal of oil subsidies in order to restart Pakistan’s much-needed programme. On a talk show, Miftah Ismail slammed former Prime Minister Imran Khan for his contract with the IMF.
“Imran Khan promised the IMF a Rs30 levy and a 17.5% sales tax on petroleum products,” he explained.
The government is losing Rs120 billion per month as a result of Imran Khan’s unilateral decision to provide petrol subsidies, according to the finance minister.
“Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had to make a difficult choice. However, he will announce a relief package for those who cannot afford high fuel prices in his address to the nation today,” Ismail added.
According to Miftah, the government has already stated that the IMF programme will not begin unless petroleum subsidies are eliminated.
Miftah Ismail voiced concerns about losing political capital as a result of the current decision to raise fuel prices, saying, “honestly telling you, we have admitted that by deciding on hiking fuel prices, we will suffer politically, but this is our country, and we will sacrifice to fix its issues”.
Ismail acknowledged that the current increase in gasoline prices will shift the burden to the masses and increase inflation.
Miftah dismissed the possibility of a default, saying, “I’m guaranteeing two things: the IMF programme will be restored, and Pakistan will not go bankrupt”.
In the budget (2022-23), the government intends to impose a time-limited levy or additional income tax on the yearly income earned by the steel industry, pharmaceutical business, and other profit-generating segments, as well as increase the minimum tax from two to six percent on the import of edible oil
According to reliable sources, the government has made the decision to increase the rate of least tax on the import of edible oil from two to six percent in the next fiscal budget to boost the occurrence of levy on this large profit-earning sector. The steel sector’s minimum tax rate will be raised in the new budget.
It is worth noting that the fresh charge will only be levied on industries and sectors that make massive profits, and it would only be in place for a limited time.
According to Brecorder, the steel sector’s profits have increased by 20-30 per cent, but they are not paying the requisite tax bills. As a consequence, an extra income tax or levy on the yearly earned income by the steel industry, pharmaceutical sector, and other sectors earning windfall profits has been proposed for 1-2 years.
Added income taxor levy will be paid in conjunction with the filing of tax records. The levy would be time-limited and could be imposed for one or two years.
The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) levies a two per cent least tax on edible oil imports, which is decided to ascend to six per cent beginning with the next fiscal year. Earnings in the edible oil industry are very high, with massive profits, but tax payments are consistent or on the low side.
The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) is updating a list of high-profit industries based on tax financial records, annual financial statements, and third-party data.
A new section in the Income Tax Ordinance 2001 would be introduced through the new Finance Bill 2022 for the imposition of the said levy on high profit earning sectors.
Bollywood’s A-list director Karan Johar ringed in his grand 50th birthday this week in style. The K3G filmmaker has organised a lavish celebration for the entire film fraternity.
The entire evening has a visual feast, with many prominent celebrities arriving looking stunning and eager to party.
Salman Khan turned heads and made our hearts flutter with his dapper look. He wore a leather jacket with washed blue jeans one of the best attires ever.
Lovebirds Tara Sutaria and Aadar Jain made for a very stylish couple as they reached Karan Johar’s grand birthday bash. Tara went for a gorgeous white traditional attire and Aadar looked smart in a tuxedo.
Gorgeous leading ladies of 1990s were a sight to behold at Johar’s birthday bash. The trio went for formal wear and rocked it. While Sonali and Twinkle opted for a pant-suit attire, Tabu looked like a diva in a blue saree.
Bollywood’s beauties Madhuri Dixit, Raveena Tandon and Juhi Chawla put their best fashion foot forward and looked stunning at Karan Johar;s mega bash.
The celebrity guests oozed major outfit goals.
Even Vaani Kapoor and Rajkummar Rao were in attendance at Karan Johar’s mega birthday bash. While Kapoor turned up the heat in her glittery blue gown, Rao looked dashing in his glittery tuxedo.
His best friend Kajol shared an adorable selfie with the birthday boy. Saif Ali Khan and Raveena Tandon were seen happily grinning for a fun selfie moment.
Bollywood coupled absolutely glammed up the grand birthday bash. We spotted Neha Dhupia and Angad Bedi, Riteish Deshmukh with Genelia D’Souza and also Sussanne Khan with Arslan Goni.
