Kubra Khan and Gohar Rasheed are one BFF duo that doesn’t shy away from flaunting their friendship and camaraderie on social media. They even appeared together on The Ahsan khan show and Jeeto Pakistan together.
Kubra and Gohar set the dance floor on fire with their electrifying moves on Sultana Siddiqui’s grandson wedding.
On the work front, Kubra will be seen next in London Nahi Jaunga and Gohar is set to be featured in The Legend Of Maula Jatt.
Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao announced their divorce after 15 years of marriage in a mutual public statement. The ex-couple shared that they will “nurture and raise” their son Azad Rao Khan together. They will also be continuing their professional association on Paani Foundation and other work commitments.
“In these 15 beautiful years together we have shared a lifetime of experiences, joy and laughter, and our relationship has only grown in trust, respect and love. Now we would like to begin a new chapter in our lives – no longer as husband and wife, but as co-parents and family for each other,” a statement issued by Khan and Rao read.
The statement added that Khan and Rao separated prior to filing for divorce. On the work front the Dhoom 3 actor will be seen next in Laal Singh Chadda co-starring Kareena Kapoor.
Most Pakistanis prayed for their Indian neighbours when India was going thorough a severe second Covid-19 wave, said an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven study.
The research focused on tweets expressing kindness, empathy and solidarity showed that most tweets that were posted by Pakistani citizens between 21 April and 4 May were positive.
Led by Ashique KhudaBukhsh, the team of researchers at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) based their study on 300,000 tweets. The team considered only the tweets with the three biggest trending hashtags: #IndiaNeedsOxygen, #PakistanStandsWithIndia and #EndiaSaySorryToKashmir. Of them, 55,712 tweets came from Pakistan, 46,651 from India and the remaining were posted from the other countries of the world.
With the help of an artificial intelligence tool, “hope speech classifier”, they found Pakistani tweets containing supportive hashtags were by far more than those containing non-supportive hashtags. The study found that these tweets received more likes and retweets as well.
More than 85% of the tweets posted about the Covid crisis in India from Pakistan were supportive, the research found.
“Our research showed that there’s a universality in how people express emotions. If you search randomly, you’ll find positive tweets a little over 44% of the time. Our method throws up positive tweets 83% of the time,” KhudaBukhsh said.
At a time when Indians were panicked about the raging COVID-19 wave, they received support and solidarity from across the border. Some people justified Pakistan’s helpful outpouring as the country itself was also faced with an infectious outbreak.
Read More: Indian couple gets married on plane to avoid Covid restrictions
“The situation here was pretty bad too. Our hope was getting thinner and thinner. Our enemy was the same, our borders are so close and we get impacted by whatever happens,” said Prof Arifa Zehra, who teaches history in Lahore.
“A pandemic doesn’t recognise borders, whether they are geographical or ideological. And when the dark cloud is sneering at you, there’s no harm in sharing a prayer.”
Prof Zehra also termed these positive tweets as “the greatest reassurance that we are still human”.
KhudaBukhsh hoped for better relations between communities and countries if this method of identifying and amplifying positive messages is used. “When a country is going through a national health crisis like a pandemic, words of hope can be a welcome medicine and the last thing you want to see is negativity,” he highlighted.
“There are several studies that show that if you’re exposed to too much hate speech or negative content, you get influenced by it.”
KhudaBukhsh suggested using this AI-driven method to curb hate speech. “When there’s a negative situation, such as in times of war or a health crisis, instead of blocking the content, an alternative approach can be to highlight the positive content,” he underscored.
“It will help reinforce the belief that people on the other side of the aisle are kinder.”
KhudaBukhsh also suggested building up a healthy system that highlights kindness in others before an opposite system is deployed that may censor empathetic content.
Pakistani celebrities are popular across the border too, and not just amongst the Indian masses but they are loved by even famous Indian celebrities. India’s Punjabi film industry has grown significantly over the last decade and many Indian Punjabi movies have even released in Pakistan such as ‘Carry On Jatta 2’.
Here is a list of Seven Indian Punjabi actors who revealed their favorite Lollywood celebrities:
Sonam Bajwa is amongst the most sought after Punjabi actresses of her generation, in an interview with BBC Asian Network’s Haroon Rashid, the Carry On Jatta 2 actress said, ” I am the biggest, biggest fan of Sajal Aly, she is phenomenal and I feel so happy sharing that I’ve learnt so much from her, she’s extraordinary and I think you’d agree. She’s the best actress and the finest actress of our times and I really look up to her”.
Sonam further added, “I’m watching Alif, Mere Pass Tum Ho and Yeh Dil Mera. You’d be quite surprised, I live in Bombay but I mostly work in Punjab, it’s a small industry, we don’t have much to do or know but I know all about what’s happening in Pakistan’s entertainment industry, I know all the celebs, I know everything. I have some really close Pakistani friends, I know Sajal personally, Rabia [Butt] also. I religiously follow Pakistani dramas and I think they’re so amazing.”
Gippy Grewal visited Pakistan in 2019 and expressed his desire to work with Mewhish Hayat as he liked her work in the Humayun Saeed starrer Punjab Nahi Jaungi. Mehwish even thanked the Punjabi superstar for his statement.
Yograj Singh in an interview revealed that he was a big fan of Musata Quershi. Yograj even said that he used to copy Mustafa Quershi’s acting style in many of his movies.
Gippy Grewal in an interview revealed that Sohail Ahmed is Gurpreet Ghughi’s one of the favorite comedy actor. Gippy added that he loves Sohail’s comic timing.
Indian Punjabi actor Arminder Singh, who has appeared in two movies with Iftikhar Thakhur mentioned during the promotions of their first film that he admires Iftikhar Thakur’s work. Their movie Chal Mera Putt 2 was released on 13 March, 2020.
Simi worked with the legendary comedian in the film franchise, Chal mera putt and during the film’s promotions she expressed appreciation for Nasir’s craft.
Kapil Sharma praised the late Amanullah Khan in his interviews and also tweeted on the sad demise of the veteran comedian. The Firangi actor termed him as a living legend.
Chandan, who is famous for his character on The Kapil Sharma Show expressed his grief on the passing away of Amanullah Khan and even mentioned that he has been a big fan of his.
माफ़ करना, मैं ये भूल ही गया था कि हंसाने वाला रुलाता भी है । RIP #amanullahkhan sahab.. pic.twitter.com/fJPasFLCly
— Chandan Prabhakar (@haanjichandan) March 6, 2020
Asim Azhar has once again raised his voice for the protesting students who are appealing to the government to call off the sit-in exams amidst pandemic woes.
Taking to Twitter, the Tum Tum singer said: “All students are equal, Chaahay board ya Cambridge. Justice ho ga tou sabka ho ga, InshaAllah!“
In another tweet, he also shared the hashtag #ImranKhanStudentKiSunLo and tagged the Prime Minister.
Islamabad police on Thursday temporarily detained a dozen students and used force to end a protest against holding in-person examinations for grade 9th to 12th which are scheduled to begin later this month.
Students had started gathering outside the Higher Education Commission (HEC) office on Thursday morning and also appealed for Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood’s resignation.
5th edition of the Hum Style Awards ceremony is set to be held on July 4 in Lahore. The nominations were announced by the jury in last month.
A host of celebrities have already arrived in Lahore for the ceremony and the preparations are on full swing.
Here’s the list of nominations and our predictions for the particular category:
Nausheen Shah
Sonya Hussyn
Mira Sethi
Mashal Khan
Saheefa Jabbar
Prediction: Nausheen Shah
Shahroz Sabzwari
Usama Khan
Shahbaz Shigri
Emmad Irfani
Ali Rehman Khan
Prediction: Emaad Irfani
Maya Ali
Mahira Khan
Ayesha Omar
Prediction: Maya Ali
Ali Rehman Khan
Shahbaz Shigri
Bilal Ashraf
Prediction: Bilal Ashraf or Shahbaz Shigri
Emraan Rajput
Ismail Farid
Munib Nawaz
Republic by Omar Farooq
Mohtaram by Fahad Saif
Prediction: Republic by Omar Farooq
Amna Chaudhry
Blocked by Afsheen Numair
Zaha
Prediction: Amna Chaudhary
Mushk Kaleem
Maha Ishaq Tahirani
Abeer Adeel
Fahmeen Ansari
Giti Ara
Prediction: Mushk Kaleem or Giti Ara
Hajra Khan
Diana Baig
Karishma Ali
Shan Masood
Shadab Khan
Prediction: Karishma Ali
The ceremony will be hosted by Ali Zafar and Urwa Hocane.
Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Thursday said Pakistan will not give airbases to the United States (US) if the government has decided against it.
According to an official statement issued after the security briefing held on Thursday, the session was informed that Pakistan played a highly positive and responsible role in the Afghan peace process.
“Pakistan’s efforts paved the way for dialogue between Afghan factions and warring groups,” the meeting was told, while it was also noted that due to Islamabad’s efforts, meaningful talks have begun between the US and the Taliban.
“Sustained peace and stability in Afghanistan will lead to stability in South Asia,” the meeting was informed.
The participants were further told that Pakistan would welcome a government that was truly representative of the Afghan people and that it would continue its responsible role for peace in Afghanistan.
“Pakistan’s territory is not being used in the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan […] and we hope that Afghanistan’s land is not used against Pakistan,” the DG ISI had reportedly said during the session.
A meeting of the National Security Committee was held on Thursday. Army chief and heads of security institutions participated in the meeting. A briefing on Kashmir, Afghanistan, and internal security challenges was under discussion.
It should be recalled that the government had turned down a US request for setting up drone bases in Pakistan for future counterterrorism operations in Afghanistan. Prime Minister Imran Khan had in his speech that Pakistan could be partner with the United States in peace, but not in conflict.
The Sindh High Court (SHC) has lifted the ban on the video-sharing app, TikTok. The ban was imposed on June 28 for spreading immorality and obscenity in the country. The case has been adjourned till July 5.
Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry has welcomed the decision by the SHC. “Technology war is being fought in the world right now.”
“The regulatory bodies and judiciary should stay away from such fights and the investors wanting to invest in Pakistan should be welcomed,” Chaudhry added.
Senator Faisal Javed Khan has urged youth to utilise social media platforms in a responsible and productive manner. The senator further added that PTA has promised to dispose of the complaints by July 5.
The recent ban on TikTok was imposed for the third time in Pakistan. Earlier this year in March, the Peshawar High Court (PHC) banned TikTok over immoral content, but the ban was later lifted in April.
Last year, Pakistan blocked the app on October 9, 2020. The ban was lifted after the TikTok management assured the Pakistani authorities that it will block all accounts repeatedly involved in spreading obscenity and immorality.
Art knows no boundaries and Pakistani celebrities don’t shy away to express their love for Indian artists and vice versa. Recently four cross-border stories of love and appreciation have grabbed the attention of people from both the countries.
Here are the artists who have praised and appreciated each other in their own ways:
Pakistani actress Sarwat Gillani believes that talent should be appreciated even if the artist belongs to another country. The Churails star recently took to Instagram to let her fans know that her praise will not be confined by borders.
Replying to a comment of a fan asking her why Pakistani celebrities praise Bollywood actors even though, according to the fan, they are much more talented than their Indian counterparts.
Sarwat gracefully replied back and lauded Bhatt by commenting, “We must learn to appreciate the people who deserve our praise. You don’t know how hard they’ve worked to get where they are. Alia Bhatt is an amazing artist and praise knows no boundaries or borders.”
Veteran Bollywood actress Shabana Azmi showered love on Sajal Aly after the latter posted her dazzling photos. Both the actresses are working together in a Hollywood film titled as What’s Love got to do with it? When the Alif actress shared her stills from a photoshoot, Shabana displayed her love for her by commenting, “Hai main mar javaan!!!”.
Imran Abbas recently showered love on the acclaimed Indian choreographer Geeta Kapur.
In a surfaced video from the Indian reality show Super Dancer 4, veteran actress Neetu Kapoor praised Geeta which the Kuch Kuch Hota Hai fame posted on her Instagram handle. The Thora Sa Haq actor commented on her post and Geeta was quick to respond back.
Zara engaged in a Q&A session with her followers on Twitter. A fan asked her about her favourite movie of Shah Rukh Khan, to which she replied, “There isn’t one, I love every single film of his, every ad, every interview and every sentence”.
Earlier, veteran actor Simi Raheel’s sweet interaction with Johnny Lever won transnational hearts. The actress par excellence gushed over how good it felt to receive praise from the Bollywood legend.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the central contracts for the men’s national cricket team. Hassan Ali and Mohammad Rizwan have been promoted to category A, while Captain Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi retained their positions in the ‘A’ category.
Azhar Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Fawad Alam, Shadab Khan and Yasir Shah are included in category-B.
The players included in category C are: Abid Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Nauman Ali and Sarfaraz Ahmed.
Imran Butt, Shahnawaz Dahani and Usman Qadir have been placed in Emerging Category.
According to the press release issued by the PCB, the list has been finalised by the panel that comprised Director-International Cricket, Zakir Khan, chief selector Muhammad Wasim and Director-High Performance, Nadeem Khan, who also consulted head coach Misbah-ul-Haq and captain Babar Azam as part of the process. The provisional list was then shared with Chief Executive Wasim Khan, before it was approved by PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani.
“Selecting 20 players amongst a big pool of quality cricketers is always a challenging task. I would like to thank the panel for their diligent work in selecting the 2021-22 central contract list against an agreed criteria,” PCB Chief Executive Wasim Khan said in a statement.
“In the new list, we have seen eight new players emerge who have now gained central contracts. Due to the competitive nature of the central contract system, nine players who had contracts in 2020-21 have sadly missed out on this occasion. The door remains firmly open for these players and they will continue to remain in the plans of the selectors.”
The 12-month contracts will run from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022.