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  • Wasim Akram gets UAE ‘Golden Visa’

    Wasim Akram gets UAE ‘Golden Visa’

    Former captain of Pakistan cricket team and Sultan of swing Wasim Akram has been issued Golden Visa of Dubai.

    “It is an honour that the Dubai government has issued me a Golden Visa in recognition of my services to cricket,” the former captain said in a post on social media.

    Akram further wrote in his post that Dubai is undoubtedly one of the best business hubs in the world, a holiday destination and a city that connects the people of the world. He also said that he would like to spend more time in Dubai.

    It is pertinent to mention here that all-rounder of the national team Shoaib Malik and his wife and Indian tennis star Sania Mirza have also been issued golden visas by the Dubai government.

  • UN chief condemns travel restrictions, calls it ‘travel apartheid’

    UN chief condemns travel restrictions, calls it ‘travel apartheid’

    United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday that a travel ban imposed because of the Covid pandemic that cuts off any one country or region as “not only deeply unfair and punitive – they are ineffective.”, report Geo News.

    Guterres said that tests should continually be performed on travelers to reduce the threat of transmission in other parts of the world.

    He further added, “We have the instruments to have safe travel. Let’s use those instruments to avoid this kind, of allow me to say, travel apartheid, which I think is unacceptable.”

    The new variant of the coronavirus, which was previously identified as B.1.1.529 infection was reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) from South Africa on November 24 and named it Omicron.

    Several countries, including Pakistan, have completely banned flights from some countries in Africa.

    In African countries, the rate of vaccination was recorded as very low which Guterres has previously alarmed the world about. The main reason for the lack of vaccination was the inequality distribution of vaccines and low immunisation rates which became “a breeding ground for variants.”

    The annual meeting was also held between the United Nation and African Union to solve the concern of the travel ban.

    Speaking from the Joint-Conference with UN Secretary-General, African Union Commission Chair Moussa Faki Mahamat also said that the travel ban cannot be justified.

  • Fawad shares numbers of Pakistanis working abroad

    Fawad shares numbers of Pakistanis working abroad

    Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry has shared a list of numbers of Pakistanis working abroad on his official Twitter account.

    In a tweet, Fawad said, “Despite Covid-19, 1.1 million Pakistanis have got jobs abroad in three years. In the next two years, the government hopes that two million people will go abroad.”

    The list shows that most of the Pakistanis work in the Middle East and the United Kingdom (UK).

    A day earlier, Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed said that all overseas Pakistanis will be voting for the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). He claimed that 40 of Punjab’s and 80 constituencies of the country will be decided by overseas voters.

  • Zara Tareen slams Fahad Mustafa

    Zara Tareen slams Fahad Mustafa

    Earlier this week actor Fahad Mustafa urged bloggers and film critics to release their reviews after a longer period of time from the theatrical release of a movie as their words can damage the feature film’s box-office performance.

    He referred to the reviews of the first post-pandemic release Khel Khel Mein.

    The Kankar actor’s stance was appreciated by fellow celebrities like Mehwish Hayat, Sami Khan and Aijaz Aslam.

    On the contrary prominent actress Zara Tareen took to her social media handle to share her opinion on the matter.

    She followed her post with another controversial post, calling the A-list actor as unprofessional and ill-mannered.

    “I wholeheartedly take back my words, I should not have insulted Mufasa by using his name, she said, referring, of course, to the character from the 1994 animated film The Lion King.”

    “Using his name in place of a loud mouth, unprofessional, entitled, badtameez [ill mannered] brat was uncalled for. The Lion King was legendary and Mufasa was wise and respectful and still gets amazing reviews because he earned them.”

    On the work front, Tareen has acted recently in HUM TV’s Mushk and Zee5’s Dhoop Ki Deewar.

    She recently married Hollywood actor Faran Tahir.

    Khel Khel Mein released on 19th November across Pakistan. The Current engaged in an exclusive chat with the film’s leading duo Sajal Aly and Bilal Abbas Khan.

  • Mawra Hocane reveals her ‘one in a million’ in a Q and A session

    Mawra Hocane reveals her ‘one in a million’ in a Q and A session

    Pakistani actor Mawra Hocane, while answering fan questions on the completion of her decade in showbiz, has revealed who is one in million for her.

    Hocane answered fans’ questions on Twitter on November 30, on the occasion of completing her 10th year in the showbiz industry, and also revealed when her first drama aired.

    The shooting of the first play of her career started in November 2011 but this playaired in February 2012. However, according to the shooting, she completed 10 years in the industry, she revealed in her tweet.

    “Shot my first serial in November 2011 that later aired in February 2012. 10 years & almost 25 projects later.. all I have is utmost gratitude. ALHUMDULILLAH. Being an artist has given me so much more than I could’ve asked for!”

    One of the user asked: “Who is your favourite co-star or whom are you most comfortable with?”

    Replying to the fan, she said: “Oh it has to be my closest friend Ameer Gilani. Shooting Sabaat with him was like a breeze.”

    While answering to another fan, who asked her to say one word for Ameer, she said: “One in a million, unique and honest! I hope we see more of him! He’s truly gifted.”

    Talking about Ayeza, Hocane said: “Ayeza is a brilliant human being.. I worked with her in shaadi mubarak.. she was warm then she’s super super warm today.. this mad world didn’t change her even one bit!”

    In response to a question, Mawra called Mahira Khan her best friend and wrote that although they rarely meet, they are best friends.

    On the work front, Mawra can currently be seen in Hum TV’s Qissa Meherbano Ka opposite Ahsan Khan and Zaviyar Nauman Ijaz.

  • PML-N will protest like TLP if govt forces electronic voting

    PML-N will protest like TLP if govt forces electronic voting

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Punjab President Rana Sanaullah said that if the government tries to force the elections through Electronic Voting Machines (EVM), the party would be left with no option but to follow the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan’s (TLP) way of protesting.

    Sanaullah, in a Geo News Programme, ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’ stated that the other way to protest is in and outside of Parliament.

    He said, “The current government does not even have an idea of the dynamics of the polling stations and if EVMs were used, the 2023 elections would turn controversial even before they are held.”

    Shahzeb asked Rana that the Opposition can go to court over the EVM issue. To which he replied, “We will go to court. But if nothing happens, we won’t let this election happen at any cost.”

    Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said it is vital for the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to hold all upcoming by-elections using EVMs. In case the ECP fails to do so, the government will not be able to release funds under the law.

  • Divorce rate highest in Pakistan since 2019: Gallup survey

    Divorce rate highest in Pakistan since 2019: Gallup survey

    The divorce rate has reached the highest in Pakistan according to a survey conducted by Gallup and Gilani Pakistan.

    2 out of every 5 Pakistanis believe that in-laws are the major reason for most failed marriages. The survey also recorded that 58 per cent of the population in Pakistan believe that divorce cases have increased in society, reports The News.

    It has been observed that the lockdown during the Covid-19 pandemic contributed to mental health problems where couples experienced interference from the in-laws.

    In Karachi, 3800 divorce cases have been registered. Recently, 10,312 cases have been recorded by the District Judiciary of Rawalpindi between January 1 to November 9 in 2021 that including 10,312 cases of divorce, khula, guardianship, and maintenance whereas 13,000 cases are still waiting for the verdict in family courts of the Rawalpindi district.

    Around 70 per cent of the divorce cases filed were of women who married with their free will. Some women claimed the interference and bitterness from the in-laws as the marriage was not arranged by them [in-laws].

    Family Advocate Hamid Rashid Gondal also revealed that few cases of divorce end up in a settlement in court.

    Forced marriages are another contributing factor in increasing divorce numbers.

  • ‘Universities should research disastrous effects that western culture has on family life’: PM Khan

    ‘Universities should research disastrous effects that western culture has on family life’: PM Khan

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Monday, during the inauguration ceremony of Al-Qadir University’s academic blocks, said that Pakistan’s youth was confused about itself in today’s world.

    He said young Pakistanis studied the western culture and were misled by it.

    The premier urged universities to research the disastrous effects that western culture was having on family life, and spoke out against how pornographic material was widely available on smartphones these days.

    He said universities were important as they can help people make “informed choices”, which will help people make smarter and better choices.

    PM Khan’s statement from his speech earlier this week caught the attention of the Twitterati and the premier was heavily criticised for his remarks.

    Writer and Vlogger, Saadia Ahmed wrote, “The most harmful effects on Pakistan’s family system come from Pakistan’s family system itself.”

    A Twitter user tweeted, “Wish it was a country where harmful effects of family system on a person’s health was researched.”

    https://twitter.com/009barca/status/1466330905937690627

    Criticising the words of the premier a Twitter user wrote, “He’s trying his best to not get voted next year good for him.”

    https://twitter.com/sheilasjawani/status/1466358126400221185

    A Twitter user tweeted, “I wouldn’t be surprised if this guy creates a new discipline to study Pakistan’s Family System.”

  • ‘Jhoot bola hai’: Punjab Governor says PTI did not ask him to step down

    ‘Jhoot bola hai’: Punjab Governor says PTI did not ask him to step down

    Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar refuted reports that he was told by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to step down from the Governor Punjab post, terming it a “lie”.

    Sarwar, speaking to journalists in London, said, “The impression of being sidelined [by the party] is also not correct.”

    Earlier this week, Sarwar made many heads turn when he spoke against his party.

    “I never asked for the governor’s position but had been asked by the party’s leadership to accept it,” he said.

    “When you are in a party, you have to accept the party’s decision and you cannot rebel. This was our party’s unanimous decision,” Sarwar added.

    When asked by a reporter whether this was done to sideline him, the Punjab governor agreed, saying that he came to that realisation later.

    Sarwar said he could have delivered much more for the country if he was given another role, adding that he was doing his best to fulfill his duty in areas where he could exercise his domain.

    The Punjab Governor said, “so far we have failed to bring judicial and police reforms”.

  • ‘Virat and Babar’s hug’: Adnan Siddiqui backs Amitabh Bachchan’s view on Pak-India

    ‘Virat and Babar’s hug’: Adnan Siddiqui backs Amitabh Bachchan’s view on Pak-India

    Pakistani Actor Adnan Siddiqui has praised Bollywood Actor Amitabh Bachchan for his views on Pakistan and India’s required relationship.

    “Concur with Mr Amitabh Bachchan. Art and cinema bridge the chasms between two nations at loggerheads. The beauty lies in connecting despite political differences,” the Meray Pass Tum Ho actor wrote in a tweet.

    Amitabh Bachchan penned a lengthy article for a news media outlet on the 13th anniversary of the 26/11 terror attack on Mumbai, in which he highlighted the importance of people to people connection in both countries.

    In his article The Sholay actor recalled moments which united people across borders, “Sometimes they nestle in the warmth of the hug that went viral, that India’s captain Virat Kohli gave to Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam, after the men in green defeated the men in blue in the first game of the T20 World Cup that concluded in Dubai recently.”

    Read more- ‘Pakistan or India?’: Sania Mirza finally puts the banter to rest by revealing who she supports

    “Sometimes they revel in the smashing box office success, in India and also in Pakistan, of the 2015 Salman Khan-starrer Bajrangi Bhaijaan, a cross-border tale about empathy and compassion, an Indian man’s struggle to reunite a Pakistani child with her family,” he added.

    Bachchan concluding by saying, “freedom from fear means that we are more at ease with our neighbour,” adding, “No terrorist must be allowed to change the way we are in the dark, or with our neighbour, or ourselves. No single act of terror must be given the power to destroy the interconnectedness of our stories, our plural solidarities.”