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  • VIDEO: Shoaib Akhtar thrashes Pakistani advertisements

    VIDEO: Shoaib Akhtar thrashes Pakistani advertisements

    Pakistani former cricketer, Shoaib Akhtar has thrashed Pakistan’s corporate advertisements in a live sports show.

    Insulting the advertisements shown on television, the pacer said: “[The] world’s pathetic advertisements are made in Pakistan.”

    “You can imagine the capacity of our elite class that their brains are filled with trash, filled with trash,” he expressed. “They have no creativity.”

    “There’s an ad of 4G and a guy is running very fast and jumps off a cliff and stands there. I thought it’s an advertisement of shoes but turns out it’s about a faster 4G connection,” he said.

    Akhtar continued: “In another one, two cricketers are dancing on a track about a girl welcoming her beloved. How silly is it to have two cricketers dance on this? A guest cricketer has come and the other one is receiving him and that track is being played.”

    “I think their brains have stopped working. This the corporate ads culture?,” he lamented.

    While the host tried to ask him about South Africa’s tour to Pakistan, Akhtar ignored and continued to share his thoughts on Pakistani adverts.

    “You have seen that world’s pathetic ads are being made here,” said Akhtar, before going on to share his experience of producing an advertisement for a car.

    “I was offered to work in a car advertisement,” said Akhtar. “I told them that I will produce the ad. If you like it, you can keep it. Otherwise, I don’t want you to make this advertisement.”

    He continued: “They agreed and we made the advertisement and they loved it. The ad got millions of views and when they showed me their original concept for the same ad, I said: ‘Shame on you for your pathetic concept’.”

    Akhtar is well-known for his aggression on and off the field, and this time, the legend didn’t shy away from slamming corporate organisations for their advertisements and the advertisement culture of Pakistan.

  • Shaan Shahid confronts Kashif Zameer over false allegations

    Shaan Shahid confronts Kashif Zameer over false allegations

    Engin Altan Düzyatan’s Pakistani host Kashif Zameer is in hot waters once again for imposing false allegations on Shaan Shahid.

    As per details, Zameer posted a picture with the actor and alleged that Shaan had asked him whether foreign stars should be preferred over local artists.

    In a social media post, Zameer wrote: “Last night, Pakistani superstar Shaan Bhai asked me whether it’s okay to employ foreign stars as brand ambassadors for our local brands instead of our artists. What should have my reply to that?”

    In response, Shaan quickly denied the allegations, commenting: “Brother that’s not correct. I didn’t ask you anything like that. You requested to take a picture with me and I agreed to it because of Shafqat Cheema Sahab.”

    Earlier, Kashif Zameer claimed that the Diriliş: Ertuğrul star will be visiting Pakistan soon. “Get ready for the Engin Kashif friendship blast,” said Kashif in an Instagram post.

  • Sajal Aly to star in Jemima Goldsmith’s ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It?’

    Sajal Aly to star in Jemima Goldsmith’s ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It?’

    Sajal Aly is all set to share the screen with top Hollywood stars in Jemima Goldsmith’s upcoming project What’s Love Got To Do With It?.

    According to reports, the Mom actress will essay a groundbreaking role in Goldsmith’s production, for which she is currently shooting in London. The news was confirmed by BBC Asian Network journalist Haroon Rashid.

    Besides Aly, the film will also feature Emma Thompson, Lily James and Shazad Latif in key roles.

    As per details, the film will be directed by Shekhar Kapur of Mr India and Dil Se fame and produced by Goldsmith under the banner of her production house Instinct Productions. The film has been written by Jemima herself and is set between London and South Asia, exploring cross-cultural conflicts of love and marriage.

    A release date is not yet been announced.

    Meanwhile, Sajal’s fellow colleagues congratulated her for the achievement.

    Later, Jemima herself confirmed the news in a Tweet by sharing the names of Veteran Bollywood actress, Shabana Azmi and Sajal.

  • FBR seeks explanation from RFAK over alleged bank accounts

    The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has sent another notice to Rahat Fateh Ali Khan (RFAK), seeking an explanation for his alleged bank accounts.

    According to reports, the FBR has asked RFAK to submit a reply by January 15. The singer reportedly failed to satisfy the FBR about his alleged bank accounts, after he was served with the initial notice in December 2020.

    The FBR started investigating RFAK’s finances in October last year. Later, in December, the FBR traced the alleged bank accounts and the singer was asked to submit a reply by December 23.

    Meanwhile, the FBR recently also sent a tax notice worth 58 million to Atif Aslam after the audit of his income for the year 2018. According to details, Aslam has been given one month’s notice to pay the tax. If the singer fails to pay the due amount, the revenue board will make the recovery by freezing his bank accounts.

  • VIDEO: Did woman who accused Babar Azam of harassment really drop charges?

    VIDEO: Did woman who accused Babar Azam of harassment really drop charges?

    A woman who had accused Pakistan cricket team skipper Babar Azam of sexual and financial abuse has allegedly signed an affidavit, saying that allegations levelled against Babar Azam were “baseless”, an undated video suggested on Friday.

    In the video, the woman — who claimed to be Azam’s ex-girlfriend — can be seen signing an affidavit. The lawyer representing Babar Azam to confirm that she didn’t know Babar Azam and that she accused him of sexual misconduct at the behest of “some friends”.

    But did that really happen?

    Well, some say the undated video is two years old and it was being shared at this time to influence the trial. A Facebook page of a journalist shared audio messages of the woman, wherein she said that the video was two-year old and was being used by Azam to “blackmail her”.

    She said she did reach a settlement with Babar Azam in 2018, but in return, Babar had promised to marry her. This video has also been submitted in the court by Babar Azam, but the judge raised questions on its admissibility, she added.

    On Thursday, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had also summoned Babar Azam.

    CASE AGAINST BABAR:

    In December 2020, police had given a clean chit to Babar in the harassment case. According to reports, Additional Sessions Judge Nauman Naeem had taken up the petition of Hamiza Mukhtar against the Pakistani skipper.

    The hearing had come after Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Director of Media and Communications Samiul Hassan said that the sexual violence allegations against skipper Babar were a personal matter and the board could not comment on it.

    According to Jang, the board’s spokesperson was responding to a question posed by the Urdu daily after a damning press conference by one Hamiza of Lahore, who claims to be Babar’s schoolfellow and neighbour.

    Addressing the presser, the woman had claimed that the young cricketer tricked her into love and marriage.

    “When I asked him to marry me, he tortured me,” she said.

    Hamiza said that she had financially supported Babar when he was struggling with his career, adding that she spent millions of rupees on him.

    “When I called the PCB to lodge a complaint, they said that it was a personal matter,” she continued.

    During the proceedings in the sessions court, the counsel of the petitioner sought time to submit documents in the court and said that the entire case was based on medical reports.

    Azam’s counsel, Barrister Harris Azmat, while requesting the court to reject the petitioner’s plea, said that Azam was a national cricketer and hero, adding that Hamiza had started blackmailing the national cricket team captain in 2016 whereas the police had cleared him in an investigation.

    Police also submitted an investigation report in the court, as per which the national cricketer was found innocent and the woman was leveling baseless allegations.

    “The court should reject the petitioner’s plea,” he had said.

    Barrister Azmat said that Azam’s case was being covered by Indian media and the woman may have targeted the national cricketer once again at the behest of someone.

  • VIDEO: Delivery boy robbed of burgers in Gujranwala

    Robbers on Thursday looted burgers from a delivery boy in Gujranwala.

    As per reports, a group of six men riding on two motorcycles robbed the delivery boy as he was on his way to deliver the burgers to customers. The unidentified but armed men stopped the boy and snatched six burgers and a mobile from him and escaped from the scene.

    The delivery boy has filed an FIR against the suspects. Police officials have assured that they will arrest the suspects soon.

    Earlier on December 25, a delivery boy had nabbed two young street criminals after they tried to rob him in Gulshan-e-Iqbal but later allowed them to go thinking that it could ruin their life.

  • Pakistan has yet to place final order for vaccine procurement: report

    Pakistan has yet to place final order for vaccine procurement: report

    Even though the government has promised Pakistanis a vaccine in the first quarter of this year, the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has failed to place a final order to acquire the much-needed vaccine to inoculate at least 100 million people.

    According to a media outlet, the country was striving to get its first batch of the vaccine doses, as not a single pharma company has accepted Pakistan’s request to deliver the order.

    PM’s aide on health Dr Faisal Sultan was quoted by The News saying that Pakistan has yet to place a final order and strike a deal with a manufacturer.

    “Although, we are striving hard to get the first batch of COVID-19 vaccine at the earliest for our frontline workers and others the final order has not yet been placed and accepted (by any vaccine manufacturer),” he reportedly said.

    China’s Sinopharm, whose vaccine is apparently 50 per cent effective, has submitted its data with the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) and the health authorities are still in the process of reaching an agreement with the company, it added.

    Pakistan is also interested in Russian vaccine Sputnik V, Dr Sultan said, adding that negotiations are underway with Astrazeneca’s manufacturer. “We are trying to get AstraZeneca vaccine both through the Covax facility and through direct procurement,” he added.

    Earlier this month, Russia approached Pakistan with a vaccine offer. It wrote a letter to Pakistan asking for details of the process of vaccine registration as well as the demand in the country for the batch of dozes.

    In the letter addressed to Special Assistant to Prime Minister Dr Faisal Sultan, the Russian Direct Investment Fund’s (RDIF) Head, Kirill Dmitriev has said that the Sputnik-V had an emergency use certificate and it was 91.4% effective.

    On Dec 31, it was reported that the government had decided to purchase 1.2million doses of a Chinese vaccine, Sinopharm, amid a worsening coronavirus outbreak across the world.

    Pakistan has planned to vaccinate its population in three phases: in the first phase, frontline health workers will be inoculated; the second phase will be focused on the elderly; the third phase will be for the general populace.

    According to DW, it can take several years to develop an effective and safe vaccine. On average, it takes between 10 and 12 years, but it can take longer. The search for a vaccine against HIV has been going since the early 1980s — so far without success.

    In the case of COVID-19, researchers are racing to shorten the time it usually takes because of the ongoing pandemic. Despite the pressure that that brings, vaccine developers, manufacturers and the World Health Organization (WHO) say there will be no compromises on safety.

  • ‘Bushra Bibi is more than a mother to me’, says Noor Bukhari

    ‘Bushra Bibi is more than a mother to me’, says Noor Bukhari

    Noor Bukhari has said that Bushra Bibi is more than a mother to her.

    In a recent Q&A session on Instagram, when a follower asked the former actress about her relation to Prime Minister Imran Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, Bukhari said: “She’s more than a mother to me.”

    Earlier in June 2018, Bukhari had shared a picture of herself and Bushra Bibi in Saudi Arabia, where the two had gone to perform pilgrimage. Bukhari had captioned the picture with the hashtag ‘My spiritual Teacher’.

    Bukhari, who turned to the religious path to seek contentment after her fourth divorce has used social media to share her religious experiences.

    In January 2020, she reportedly remarried ex-husband and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Awn Chaudhry. The couple has two daughters together.

  • No pension for new hirings at KP universities in ‘Naya Pakistan’: report

    In what appears to greatly contradict claims of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for ‘Naya Pakistan [new Pakistan]’, Higher Education, Archives and Libraries Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has issued a notification to the public sector universities directing it to implement “no pension liability” for all future initial recruitments in addition to other strict measures to overcome the rising deficit.

    According to a report by Express Tribune, the department has also directed delinking of the pay scales from the basic pay scale scheme and university pay scale, while further stating in a notification that government grant and other resources meant for higher education shall not be expended on meeting the shortfall of the schools run by the universities.

    “These schools should have separate Board of Governors (BoG),” it reportedly read.

    Furthermore, house subsidy and requisition should be paid to the employees on the provincial government rates.

    All medical allowances in their current form have been abolished and shall be paid at the provincial government rates, says the notification, adding that the maintenance cost including repair, security and other facilities’ costs should be fully recovered from the employees provided with accommodation by the universities.

    “The universities will be assisted in the process of exploring new avenues of financial resources, including renting out academic blocks to other institutions,” says the notification.

    The report also quoted a university official as saying that in the presence of the University Act 2012, amended in 2016, all the incentives provided to the employees by the universities had completely been protected and in the presence of an act, no notification could change it including abolishing of the pension, house rents and medical allowances.

  • Newsletter- 14th January 2021, Thursday

    Newsletter- 14th January 2021, Thursday









    *|MC:SUBJECT|*

    The Current Insider
    Thursday,14th January 2021

    The Prime Minister isn’t happy with his cabinet ministers. He has asked them to quit the federal cabinet if they have a problem with the decisions taken by the government. Well, news reports suggest that PTI’s Nadeem Afzal Chan is the first one to resign from his post after this meeting and it’s got us wondering: Should we expect other resignations soon?

    I mean what we shouldn’t expect anytime soon is Kamran Akmal getting selected by the Pakistan Cricket Board. Don’t get me wrong, he is such a super fun guy and he’s trying his best to get back into national cricket but his latest workout videos aren’t helping him much. The internet can’t get enough of his workout video that he recently posted on Twitter. Can you do such strenuous workout while another human being is on top of you? (Yes, you did read that right!)

    Aik story jo abhi tak confirm nahi ho saki is that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto will attend US President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration ceremony lekin kaha ja raha hai kay yeh sach nahi hai. As per BBC Urdu, Senator Farhatullah Babar has denied these reports and said that the PPP has received no such invitation lekin news reports yeh keh rah hain kay BBZ 18th ko America ja rahein hain. Waiting to see what happens!

    We never have to wait for our two Pakistani love birds Iqra Aziz and Yasir Hussain to take to social media to express their love for each other. They had a “shame on you” social media banter and it’s rather cute. Is it?

    What is absolutely super cool is that Pakistan and Turkey might be making a movie or a series very soon! Humayun Saeed shared pictures of  himself and Adnan Siddiqui with the executive producer of Diriliş: Ertuğrul Kamal Tekdin and actor Celal Al, saying that he and his “friend Adnan Siddiqui are absolutely thrilled to be bringing to you the biggest project ever in collaboration with Kashif Bhai and our Turkish brothers.” Humayun Saeed and Halima Sultan? Yes, please!

    The A-Team, Ayesha and Ashar reviewed the top dramas this week and had a tie for the worst dramas. I couldn’t agree more. The only one I’m kind of liking these days is ‘Raqs-e-Bismil’ because that Sarah Khan, is an excellent actor, controversial storyline and it’s going to have a lot of mirch masala. 

    Atif Aslam nay bhi aaj shock kar dia. The Federal Board of Revenue has reportedly sent singer Atif Aslam a tax notice worth Rs 58 million after the audit of his income for the year 2018. Atif has been given one month’s notice to pay the tax. If he fails to pay the due amount, the revenue board will make the recovery by freezing his bank accounts. 

    It isn’t freezing in Quetta today for once! Karachi is beautiful and sunny, Lahore, Islamabad and Peshawar are still a bit cloudy. 

    I’m off to Islamabad tomorrow for a day so might not be able to check-in with you guys tomorrow! But don’t worry, you will get our regular newsletter! We shall never leave you alone

    See you!
    Marium

     

    Current Baba’s Prediction 

    Only one major thing will happen to you this week. After that, however, it won’t really be possible for anything to ever happen to you again.

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