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  • Designer spills details on Bakhtawar’s green reception jora

    Designer spills details on Bakhtawar’s green reception jora

    Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari and Mahmood Choudhry’s intimate nuptials is all social media can talk about – more because details and pictures from the event were limited. Now that the festivities have wrapped up, the newlyweds are sharing snippets from their wedding on social media.

    After Zara Shahjahan and Bakhtawar gave us a close up of her mehndi dress, designer Haris Ahmed has revealed the process that went behind making Bakhtawar’s reception jora, adding that it required “over 800 hours” to make.

    Read more – Bilawal shares unseen family photo from Bakhtawar’s wedding

    Sharing a lovely picture of the bride and groom, Ahmed said the outfit “harmoniously blends ace craftsmanship with the utmost design precision to create [a] look that [is] the epitome of elegance and truly timeless in appeal.”

    “Our team worked over 800 development hours to bring this precious masterpiece, defined by the finest quality of hand-woven couture produced by zardozi “the art of gold sewing”, layered with the sucha gota “real gota” and [an] intricate twist of glistening threads that accentuate the design and reflects creativity that reinvents the traditional aesthetic,” added the designer.

    Ahmed also shared a picture of the outfit as it was being prepared in the workshop.

    In a separate post, the designer revealed that the Brunswick green pure raw silk and chiffon ensemble was hand embellished with sucha (pure) heavy gota work.

    Meanwhile, Bakhtawar shared a video from her muun dikhayi and a colourful picture from her mehndi on social media.

  • 12-year-old maid ‘starved, tortured to death’ by employer in Lahore: police

    12-year-old maid ‘starved, tortured to death’ by employer in Lahore: police

    A 12-year-old maid, who was found dead last week, was starved for days and tortured to death by her employers, said police on Thursday.

    According to Samaa, the child employed by a family in Iqbal Town, Lahore, was assaulted multiple times over a period of two months. She was starved for long hours, revealed her post-mortem report.

    “The report disclosed that she was not raped,” the investigation officer was quoted as saying. The police have arrested the employer, Saira Bano who confessed to the crime during questioning, it added.

    “Bano said that her sister-in-law Nasreen was also involved,” the officer was quoted by the media outlet. The police are conducting raids to arrest her as soon as possible, it added.

    On Jan 30, the father of the deceased minor approached the police with a complaint that her daughter was “killed and raped” by the employers who had hired her services as a maid.

    The media report said that her father, a resident of Sheikhupura, said that on January 27 they received a call from her employer Bano.

    Bano told them that their daughter wasn’t feeling well. “When we reached there, my daughter was unconscious,” he said, adding that the child was immediately moved to a hospital where the doctor pronounced her dead.

    A case has been registered under sections 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) and 302 (murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

  • ‘You don’t hit women’: Osman Khalid Butt reacts to Bilal Saeed’s video

    ‘You don’t hit women’: Osman Khalid Butt reacts to Bilal Saeed’s video

    Osman Khalid Butt has reacted to Bilal Saeed’s viral video in which the singer was seen physically assaulting a young man and woman. Along with sharing his thoughts on the matter, Butt also requested social media users to stop making memes of the unsettling incident.

    “Following the Bilal Saeed hashtag and – just so we’re clear, he instigated it,” wrote Butt on Twitter. “This is physical assault, not meme fodder. Please understand this is not normal behaviour; it cannot be condoned or played for a laugh.”

    “You don’t hit women. Please, have some decency,” he added.

    In a follow-up tweet, Butt said: “You can choose to hate feminist activism, but don’t let that hate spring from ignorance.”

    “In plainer words, no, please, this is not what women mean when they’re asking for equal rights,” he concluded.

    On Thursday evening, a video of Bilal beating up a man and woman, purportedly his brother and sister-in-law, in the presence of the Dolphin Force went viral on social media. Later, responding to the video, the singer shared another video of his house with broken items and claimed that the destruction was done by them in his absence.

    “I know how to respect women and I know how to protect a woman too! I raised my hand to protect my family,” wrote Bilal in the caption. “This is what they did to me while I was away from my house!”

    The singer further said that he has been a victim of blackmailing.

    “And that’s not about it I have been the victim of their blackmailing and unfair behaviour for a very long time,” claimed Bilal. “I stayed quiet because obviously as an artist my priority is my career but these people have been taking advantage of my situation for a very long time.”

    The singer also apologised to his fans for the video, writing: “I am sorry that my fans had to see this side of me and I do not intend to support or promote violence.”

    The singer also shared an official statement which read: “Every human has the right to live with dignity and security, regardless of gender. I am a believer of peace, however, I also believe in establishing boundaries when that peace is repeatedly compromised by another, regardless of gender.”

    “When the safety and dignity of a person is violated and jeopardized over and over again, he unfortunately is left with no option but to react,” he added.

    Meanwhile, Bilal Saeed became the top Twitter trend in Pakistan as thousands of users reacted to his video.

  • Expats remitting around $7m per day, PM told

    Expats remitting around $7m per day, PM told

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan said that 82,728 Roshan Digital Accounts (RDA) opened so far in 97 countries of different continents by the overseas Pakistanis.

    $436 million through these facilities have been remitted in digital accounts. On average, Pakistani expatriates are remitting around $6 to $7 million every day.

    The prime minister was presiding over a meeting to review the progress of the facilities made available for the overseas Pakistanis under the Roshan Digital Account.

    The facility was introduced under the vision of PM Imran and received encouraging response from overseas Pakistanis.

    The expatriates from Saudi Arabia (KSA), The United Arab Emirates (UAE), United Kingdom (UK), and the United States of America (USA) had taken lead in utilising the facility.

    The participants were apprised of the cooperation of ministries of Foreign Affairs and Finance, Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development as well as the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) in the success of Roshan Digital Account.

    The Roshan Digital Account (RDA) is the brainchild of the government of Pakistan and has been initiated by the State Bank of Pakistan.

    The RDA initiative aims at connecting the diaspora with Pakistan financially by facilitating their remittances and will operate in collaboration with eight leading commercial banks operating in Pakistan.

    The eight leading banks have been providing innovative banking solutions for millions so that they can open an account in any bank through an entirely digital and online process; without visiting a bank branch, embassy or consulate. All they need to do is submit the basic set of information and documents.

  • VIDEO: Groomsmen perform ‘Ertuğrul dance’ at wedding

    Diriliş: Ertuğrul‘s popularity in Pakistan is no secret. Ever since the superhit Turkish series aired with Urdu dubbing on PTV it has developed a cult following.

    The show’s love has even paved its way into Pakistani weddings with people bringing the ancient Ottoman culture to their weddings.

    Recently, a group of young men performed an Ertuğrul-themed dance at a wedding in Lahore. The group donned a traditional tribal dress and danced to the theme song of Diriliş: Ertuğrul using swords and shields as their props.

    Video Credits: irfanahson

  • First two years of PTI: Lowest development spending in decade, 46% increase in per capita debt

    First two years of PTI: Lowest development spending in decade, 46% increase in per capita debt

    The per capita debt of Pakistan has jumped to Rs175,000 at the end of last fiscal year — a 46 per cent increase within two years, the Ministry of Finance told the National Assembly.

    In the Fiscal Policy Statement of 2020-21, the finance ministry admitted that the government violated the Fiscal Responsibility and Debt Limitation (FRDL) Act of 2005 by failing to reduce the federal fiscal deficit to 4% of the size of national economy, reported Express Tribune.

    The federal deficit stood at 8.6% of GDP, the report said.

    According to the fiscal statement, the current expenditures were at 28-year high level in FY19-20, whereas the development spending was the lowest in a decade in terms of total size of the economy. “Total expenditures in terms of the size of economy were at the highest level in 21 years — at 23.1% of GDP,” it reported.

    The report mentioned that the public debt was recorded at Rs36.4 trillion at the end of June 2020 which means per person debt increased by Rs21,311 or 14% in the last one year. The debt ratio was formulated on the assumption of the total population of 208 million.

    In June 2018, the total public debt was Rs24.9 trillion and the finance ministry at that time worked out the per capita debt at Rs120,099. In the first year of the PTI government, there was a 28 per cent increase in the per capita debt, while in the second the debt rose by 14 per cent.

  • Auto loans in Pakistan increased by Rs41 billion in Dec 2020

    Following a decrease in the interest rates and the revival of business after the pandemic-induced lockdown, auto loans increased by 19 per cent, reaching Rs41 billion in December 2020.

    The figures issued by the State Bank of Pakistan show that the car loans in December 2019 were recorded at Rs219 billion, which increased to Rs256 billion during the corresponding period in 2020.

    It is also reported that the growing demand for 1300cc passenger vehicles is the key factor behind the surge in these loans.

    According to media reports, the newly launched Toyota Yaris is responsible for the surge in car loans. Toyota Yaris has outsold Honda City and Civic combined.

    Another key driver of the increase in loans is the lowered interest rates. The State Bank of Pakistan had reduced the interest rates by 625 basis points to 7 per cent in 2020. Additionally, a decrease in the rates of soft interests meant lesser instalments for car financing programmes.

    It seems like a car price hikes by the automakers in 2020 had the least impact on the rising demand for cars. With new players entering the market before the expiration of the Auto Development Policy (ADP) 2016-2021, the demand for cars is likely to surge even more.

  • Asim Azhar’s ‘Ghalat Fehmi’ trends in India

    Asim Azhar’s Ghalat Fehmi from the film Superstar, is trending in India a year after it’s release.

    Read more – Indians lose it after an old picture of Rihanna with Zulfi Bukhari surfaces

    Sharing the lyrics of his song on Twitter, Asim wrote: “Ghalat Fehmi trending in India after a year of it’s release.”

    “Art surely has no boundaries and that’s beautiful,” added the singer.

    He later also shared that the song is trending at number two on Spotify India.

    A romantic number, Ghalat Fehmi featured in Mahira Khan and Bilal Ashraf’s Superstar, which released in August 2020. The film was directed by Mohammed Ehteshamuddin and released by Hum Films.

    Read more – Asim Azhar asks PCB to stop ignoring him

    Meanwhile, the singer has also announced that he will releasing new music soon.

  • ‘Govt unable to retrieve Quaide Azam’s 29-kanal property from land grabbers in Lahore’s Gulberg’

    ‘Govt unable to retrieve Quaide Azam’s 29-kanal property from land grabbers in Lahore’s Gulberg’

    Despite efforts made over the span of more than a year, Punjab’s anti-corruption department has failed to retrieve Quaide Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s property from land grabbers in Lahore, it has been claimed.

    According to Lahore-based journalist Rehan Tariq, the 29-kanal land owned by the founder of Pakistan in the provincial capital’s Gulberg area has been occupied while shopping malls and plazas have been constructed on lands linked to his sister and “Mother of the Nation”, Fatima Jinnah, as well as the country’s first prime minister (PM) Liaquat Ali Khan.

    The journalist went on to claim that the anti-corruption department launched a probe into the matter in December 2019 and it also sought record from the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) besides other public offices.

    “Officials also acquired Jinnah’s will regarding the land and prepared a source report,” Tariq said, adding that Jinnah’s property consisted of Arazi Khasra No 2181, 2129, 2200, 2180, 21825, 2184.

    Now shopping malls and plazas have been built on the land dedicated to a trust, he claimed.

  • PDM to march on Islamabad on March 26, yet to decide on mass resignations

    Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) has decided to march on Islamabad on March 26 after a six-hour-long meeting in Islamabad.

    The anti-government alliance announced this decision while talking to the media after the PDM huddle. PDM chief and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) head Maulana Fazlur Rehman said the opposition parties will contest the upcoming Senate elections on a joint platform.

    He also said that the parties have decided to contest the Senate elections together and will not go against each other’s candidates. “Our candidates will be jointly decided,” he said.

    He further said that the movement opposes the open ballot method of Senate polls and nomination of former judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, retired Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed as head of Broadsheet committee.

    There were reports that the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) was reluctant to resign from the assemblies. And it seems the PDM has yet to take a decision on that.

    Earlier this month, PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had said that the opposition should bring a no-trust vote against Prime Minister Imran Khan to send his government home. His remarks had prompted a strong response from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), with its leader Ahsan Iqbal asking the PPP chairman to show the numbers.

    Subsequently, Asif Ali Zardari had to step in and assured that all options were on the table. The PPP will send the “failed and incompetent” government home by all means, said the PPP co-chairman. Zardari said the government will have to go home as its “inexperience and ineptness might plunge the country into a bigger crisis”.