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Blog
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Aurat March Ke Khilaf FIR
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PDM at war
The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) is at war with itself, it seems. The opposition alliance that was formed last year as an anti-government alliance now seems to be fighting a battle within its ranks.
The two largest parties — Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) — have had a falling out of sorts in recent weeks.
While we saw over the months since the formation of the PDM that the PML-N leadership took a rather strong stand on the establishment meddling in politics, the PPP was being cautious when it came to naming anyone directly. The strategies of both parties also seemed to be different, which is understandable given the fact that PDM is a mix of different parties with different ideologies. But one of their common goals was to get rid of the government.
There were of course differences in strategies as to how to do it: the PML-N and Maulana Fazlur Rehman believed in resignations but the PPP believes that it should be done within the democratic framework while remaining in the system. It is understandable that the PPP would not want to resign given that it is the only Opposition party that is in power in a province. It has more at stake in parliamentary system at the moment than other parties of PDM.
These issues have now come back in public again after the recent PDM meeting where former president Asif Zardari asked former premier Nawaz Sharif to return to Pakistan when the issue of resignations from assemblies was proposed once again by the latter. What ensued was a public war of words. From a tweet by Maryam Nawaz warning PM Imran to be wary of a ‘substitute’ being fostered, to Bilawal Bhutto saying he will not respond to a PML-N vice president’s statement and his party VP could respond.
Then Bhutto-Zardari said a family from Lahore has a track record of being selected, quite obviously taking a jibe at the Sharifs. Things escalated even faster when the PPP went against the consensus decision of PDM on the Leader of the Opposition in Senate being from the PML-N. First they said they do not agree on the name of Azam Nazeem Tarar as he is defending two police officers accused in Benazir Bhutto’s assassination case, who have been accused of negligence after her murder.
The PML-N says that if the PPP could have a deputy PM who was directly nominated in BB’s letter, then why would they have an issue with Tarar’s name who is not defending any murderers. The PPP’s Yousaf Raza Gilani recently became the Leader of Opposition in Senate after securing votes from the government’s ally, BAP. Apart from the ANP and Jamaat-e-Islami, the rest of the Opposition parties supported Tarar in Senate.
Now it remains to be seen whether the PDM decides that PPP will remain part of the Opposition alliance or not. The government, it seems, is having fun at the PPP’s expense. However, it is important that instead of this infighting, the Opposition parties should sit with the government and work on electoral reforms, accountability reforms, judicial reforms, among other things. Every democratic government must complete its tenure and bring about reforms.
It is high time that the PDM stop thinking about a change in government and think long term so that it can benefit the system. Any elections without proper reforms would lead to finger-pointing by those who lose. It is important that all parties put aside their differences for the greater good of democracy.
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VIDEO: Saba Qamar’s beau Azeem Khan responds to ‘harassment’ allegations
Saba Qamar recently confirmed that she will soon be getting married to Australia-based entrepreneur Azeem Khan. Soon after the announcement, a woman alleged Khan of harassment in an “open letter to Saba Qamar”.
“I am one of those women he needlessly dragged all across social media,” said the woman in the letter. “For what? A few likes and views?”
She alleged that Khan leaked pictures and videos of her from a female-only group and posted it on social media because of which she received rape and death threats.
“His posts led to multiple messages in my inbox from guys telling me they will find me and they will rape me or kill me,” said the woman adding: “We won’t stand by women who stand by men like these.”
Khan, however, has denied the allegations and says that he has been wrongly accused.
In a video message, the businessman said: “I only want to say one thing, what is the point of uploading statues on social media. Let’s come through a proper channel.”
“I don’t care about Saba’s past, neither does she care about mine,” he added.
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Aurat March Islamabad ‘utterly dismayed’ with FIR against them
Organisers of Aurat March Islamabad have responded to the petition filed against them in Peshawar, saying that they are “utterly dismayed” with it.
“The Aurat Azadi March Islamabad is utterly dismayed at the order issued by a Peshawar Session Court judge on Friday afternoon under Section 22A of the CrPC through which a police station in Peshawar Cantonment has been instructed to file an FIR against ‘organisers and participants of ‘Aurat March’ held on March 8, 2021 in Islamabad,” read an official statement.
The statement further said that the order was issued after a petition was filed by a group of Peshawar-based lawyers accusing the organisers and participants of ‘blasphemous slogans’.
“The order was issued in response to a petition filed by a group of Peshawar-based lawyers that repeated the same vile lies against Aurat Azadi March Islamabad organisers which have circulated for more than two weeks. These lies, and the outrageous allegations of blasphemous slogans and banners, in particular, have been definitively debunked many times over,” added the statement.
Read more – Endangering innocent lives
Aurat Azadi March Islamabad also requested relevant authorities to call an inquiry and action against those who are spreading false accusations.
“Government officials including PM Advisor on Religious Affairs Tahir Ashrafi and Federal Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry have clearly called for inquiries and action against the elements responsible for sharing doctored content online and spreading the false allegations,” said the organisers.
Condemning the act, the statement further said: “To accept such a vile and baseless petition is to subject women involved in any way with Aurat Azadi March Islamabad to unspeakable danger. Legal cases against AAM organisers/participants are untenable due to the complete lack of evidence to back up lies and propaganda. Yet to call for the police to lodge an FIR is to embolden elements that have, in the recent past, taken the law into their own hand and engaged in renegade violence against innocent men and women.”
“It is common knowledge that arousing religious passions in Pakistan is akin to issuing a death warrant, and the Sessions Court order is fanning the flames of a fire that threatens to engulf women who have committed no crime other than speak for their own and the rights of women, girls and oppressed peoples throughout this country, rights that are guaranteed by the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” it said further.
The organisers also said that they have written an open letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan asking him to take strict action against those who continue spread baseless lies.
“This is why we now demand unequivocal action from all relevant state institutions to ensure that this already alarming situation does not spiral completely out of control. In the first instance, we urge police, administrative and elected authorities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to recognize that the allegations that inform the court order under section 22A have been patently established as false and malafide. There is no basis upon which to lodge an FIR, and we demand protection from the authorities accordingly.”
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تاریخ کا قرض
مجھے یاد پڑتا ہے کہ اکثر تحریک پاکستان کا مضمون اسکولوں میں اساتذہ کچھ اس طرح شروع کروایا کرتے تھے کہ ‘تحریک پاکستان کی بنیاد اس دن پڑی جب برصغیر میں پہلا مسلمان آیا۔۔۔’ ویسے ہمارے اس خطے کے لوگ بھی عجیب ہیں وہ محمد بن قاسم سے تو اپنی تاریخ شروع کرنے پر فخر محسوس کرتے ہیں لیکن اپنے اس خطے کی قدیم تاریخ سے اپنے آپ کو پرے پرے رکھتے ہیں نہ جانے یہ شرم ہے یا ارادی عمل۔
ہم مسلمان ہیں اور اس پر ہمیں فخر ہے لیکن جس خطے میں ہم رہتے ہیں اس کی بنا پر ہمارا یہاں کی قدیم و جدید تاریخ سے بھی ایک رشتہ ہے اور جب تک ہم اس رشتے کی ملکیت نہیں لیتے اور اپنی آنے والی نسلوں کو نہیں پڑھائیں گے تب تک ہم کیسے اس کو یقینی بنا سکتے ہیں کہ ہم کہاں سے آئے اور کہاں جا رہے ہیں۔ گندھارا تہذیب کا گہوارہ ہونے کے باوجود ہمارے بچے مغل بادشاہوں کے نام رٹ رہے ہوتے ہیں اعتراض اس پر نہیں ہے افسوس اس پر ہے کہ اس خطے کی تاریخ کو ایک خاص نظر سے دیکھنے اور ایک خاص رنگ میں رنگنے کی کوشش کی گئی ہے۔ راجہ پورس کا سکندر اعظم کے تصادم ہو یا بھگت سنگھ کا برطانوی استعمار کے خلاف اقدام۔ ہمیں تو فخر کرنا چاہئے کہ اس خطے میں رہنے والے استعماری قوتوں کے خلاف لڑنے میں، اپنے حق آزادی کو حاصل کرنے میں اس خطے کے باسی ایک تاریخ رکھتے ہیں۔ تحریک پاکستان ایک حادثہ نہیں ہے بلکہ برصغیر کی جنگ آزادی میں ایک روشن مینار ہے یہ تاریخ کے تسلسل میں ایک واقعہ ہے ایک سوچا سمجھا ارادہ!! اس خطے کی جنگ آزادی کی تاریخ میں بھی ہماری ‘پک اینڈ چوز’ کی پالیسی رہی ہے اور ایک ایسا خطہ جو ہمیشہ اپنے اندر تنوعات کو جذب کر کے ایک نیا رنگ پیدا کرنے کی صلاحیت رکھتا تھا اسے ہم ایک خاص عینک چڑھا کر دیکھتے ہیں اور اپنی آنے والی نسلوں کو بھی ایسے ہی دولے شاہ کے چوہے بنانے پر مصر ہیں۔ قومیت ایک اچھی چیز ہے لیکن جب جارحانہ اور شدت پسند قومیت بزور بازو مسلط کرنے کی کوشش کی جائے گی تو حاصل جمع ملغوبہ ہی ہو گا۔
ابھی 23 مارچ کا دن گزرا اور یوم پاکستان ہونے کے ساتھ ساتھ یہ بھگت سنگھ کی پھانسی کا دن بھی تھا لیکن اس کی بھی ہم نے ملکیت نہ لی حالانکہ بھگت سنگھ کو پھانسی لاہور میں ہی لگی تھی مزے کی بات یہ ہے کہ 23 مارچ کا دن ابتدائی برسوں میں یوم جمہوریہ کے طور پر منایا جاتا تھا کیونکہ 23 مارچ 1956کو پاکستان ایک جمہوریہ قرار پاتے ہوئے برطانوی عملداری سے مکمل چھٹکارا حاصل کر لیا تھا اور بھگت سنگھ بھی تاج برطانیہ سے مکمل آزادی کی جدوجہد کی علامت ہے۔
بھگت سنگھ کو آپ مذہب کی عینک سے ہی کیوں دیکھتے ہیں یہ آزادی کی اس جنگ کا ایک سپاہی ہے جس نے اس خطے میں استعمار کو للکارا اور لاہور میں شادمان فوارہ چوک پر پھانسی چڑھ گیا لیکن ہم نے اس چوک کا نام اس آزادی کے ہیرو کو خراج تحسین پیش کرنے کی کوشش کو بھی ایک مذہبی معاملہ بنا دیا۔ پاکستان اور بھارت میں امن کا راستہ بھی ہماری مشترکہ تاریخ سے ہو کر نکلتا ہے جب دونوں طرف ہم اپنے اختلافات کے بجائے مشترکات کو مقدم رکھیں گے جب دونوں طرف اس مشترکہ تاریخ پر فخر کیا جائے گا۔ آج لاہور پر ہی صرف نظر دوڑائیں تو ایک ستم ظریفی سامنے آتی ہی کہ سر گنگا رام کے کئے گئے کام سے فیض تو اٹھاتے ہیں لیکن اپنی تاریخ میں انہیں وہ جگہ دینے پر تیار نہیں جس کے وہ متقاضی ہیں۔ ہماری سائنس کی کتابوں میں جابر بن حیان اور ابن الہیشم کو تو پڑھایا جاتا ہے لیکن ماہر طبیعات سبرامنین چندراشیکھر کو نہیں جو لاہور میں پیدا ہوئے اور پھر علم طبیعات اور فلکیات میں ایسا نام پیدا کیا کہ خلا میں Chandra X Ray Observatory انکے نام سے منسوب ہے میں سوچتا ہوں کہ یہ آبزرویٹری جب خلا میں لاہور پر سے گزرتی ہو گی تو چندرا شیکھر بھی ضرور اپنی جائے پیدائش کو دیکھ کر مسکراتے ہوں گے ویسے ہی جیسے برصغیر کی آزادی کا ذکر ہوتا ہے اور اس میں لاہور کا نام آتا ہے تو بھگت سنگھ بھی مسکراتا ہو گا۔ یہ خطہ اپنی تاریخ میں بہت زرخیز ہے بس ضرورت اسکی ملکیت لینے کی ہے۔
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Ahad Raza Mir thanks fans for celebrating wedding anniversary
Ahad Raza Mir has penned a thank you note for fans on behalf of the couple for celebrating their first wedding anniversary with zeal and fervor.
See – Unseen pictures from Ahad Raza Mir and Sajal Aly’s wedding
Sharing a picture of himself with Aly, Ahad said: “I know it’s a little late, but thank you to everyone, especially our fans who made our first anniversary so special. We really felt like you celebrated with us.”
“To those of you who took our anniversary as an opportunity to do some good for our environment, it was the best gift ever,” added Mir.
Ahad also praised his wife, calling her “a beauty”.
Concluding his note, Ahad asked his fans to guess what he is holding in his hand in the picture he shared. We’re guessing, it’s an ice-cream stick.
Ahad and Sajal tied the knot in March 2020 and celebrated their first wedding anniversary on March 14. According to various reports, the couple celebrated their anniversary in Paris after Sajal wrapped up shooting for Jemima Goldsmith’s What’s Love Got to Do With It?.
Meanwhile, Ahad and Sajal were recently spotted together after a long time at a friend’s mehndi.
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Facebook in talks with PTA to set up office in Pakistan
Facebook is reportedly planning to launch three new projects, including an office, in Pakistan.
Speaking on the development, Advisor to Chief Minister (CM) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on Science, Technology and Information Technology (ST&IT) Zia Ullah Bangash said that a meeting was held between officials of Facebook’s management and representatives of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).
Both sides also discussed issues of legislation and compliance. While the meeting made good progress on numerous fronts, Bangash explained that Facebook intends to assist the country by setting up an office in the near future.
Similar to YouTube, Facebook is planning on monetizing its entertainment model so that individuals and video content creators who want to earn big could benefit from it.
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‘Pehli Si Muhabbat’ brilliantly discusses the importance of consent in marriage
Pehli Si Muhabbat may not be high on masala and is developing slowly, rather at a snail’s pace, but it certainly comes with a strong message. The latest episode of the drama (Episode 9) sheds light on a topic often overlooked in Pakistani dramas – the importance of a woman’s consent in marriage.
Aslam (Sheheryar Munawar) and Rakshi (Maya Ali) have finally started telling family members about their love for each other and their desire to marry. Aslam has broken off his engagement with Bushra (Hina Afridi) and has let his Mamu know that he cannot marry her. On the other hand, Rakshi’s father Faizullah (Shabbir Jan) has decided to finalise Rakshi’s rishta with his friend’s son. When he tells his wife Nargis (Rabia Butt) of this, the conversation that follows needs to be broadcast everywhere loud and clear.
Read more – Maya Ali reveals the reason behind her television comeback
When Faizullah tells his wife that in their riwaj and culture, girls are not consulted before their own marriage, Nargis says: “Allah nay auraton kay baaray main jo ahkamat diye hain na, unkay baaray main bhi thora sa jaan lo. Waisay tum mard bhi na baray theek ho. Deen bhi sirf mardon ka rakhtay ho. Nikkah say pehlay Allah nay beti ki marzi janana zaruri kiya hai.”
In response, Faizullah dismisses Nargis’ comments, saying that she doesn’t know anything.
“Allah ki kitaab na humain bhi parhayi jaati hai Faizullah. Bismillah aur Ameen toh humari bhi hoti hai,” adds Nargis before leaving Faizullah to reflect on her words.
In a country where women are often overlooked in the rishta process and told that the elders (read: men) in their family decide their future, such scenes and conversations give the audiences food for thought and can enable the wheels of change. It is also refreshing to watch this on-screen because most dramas paint those women wanting to marry of their choice as besharam (shameless) and wanton with their end also usually terrible.
Kudos to Faiza Iftikhar for these brilliant dialogues and to Anjum Shehzad for wonderfully executing the scene. Butt has been a powerhouse of talent throughout the episode, conversing through her eyes and body language and delivering one blazing scene after another – whether it was her conversation with Faizullah, confrontation with Niggi Apa or the way she handled Rakshi.
Another person who is really standing out in the drama is Munawar. Sheheryar has owned Aslam to the very core and the scene in which he gives Niggi Apa a taste of her own medicine makes you cheer on him.
Now that Aslam and Rakshi’s secret is out in the open, it will interesting to see what happens next. All I hope is that the drama starts moving faster else audiences will lose interest.
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Wasim Akram wants govt to ‘slap’ COVID-19 SOP violators
Former captain of the Pakistan Cricket team Wasim Akram on Saturday called on authorities to give “two slaps” to people violating the coronavirus standard operating procedures (SOPs) as only then they would understand the problem.
Sharing a video message on coronavirus, Akram, in his quintessential Urdu-Punjabi style, hoped that people from Pakistan and across the world will be in good health in these “testing times”.
The cricketer turned commentator said that he had “read and seen” that coronavirus cases were rising in Punjab, especially in his city Lahore, Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
“Please follow the SOPs. Why are you so stubborn?” Akram asked his followers.
The former fast bowler said that there was also a “Plan B” in place for those not following the SOPs.
Akram, then in Punjabi, explained that “Plan B” is to give all violators two slaps each as they would never understand in the normal manner. He sniped that the Pakistanis were just “legends”.
The former fast bowler’s comments come as the country for a second day reported more than 4,000 cases. Most of these cases were from Punjab.
According to data from the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), 4,468 people tested positive for COVID-19 on March 26 while 67 people succumbed to the virus.
Pakistan is currently battling its third wave of the coronavirus due to a lethal UK strain that has entered the country.